Florida medical marijuana patients get an unexpected email praising DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida has more than 700,000 medical marijuana patients and Republican Gov. The Department of Health last week sent a blast email to its medical marijuana patient list boasting that DeSantis signed the state budget. The email praised a cancer research program promoted by first lady Casey DeSantis, listed health issues like HIV, hepatitis and syphilis that are in the spending plan and gave a message from Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo that he and DeSantis are “advancing public health and personal responsibility in Florida.” Nothing in the email mentions medical marijuana, and patients and advocates say that the DeSantis administration violated their privacy by using the patient list to promote policy. DeSantis’ agenda.’” The Department of Health said it didn’t single out medical marijuana patients, but rather sent the budget statement to everyone in its email databases, which spokeswoman Weesam Khoury said includes more than “2 million members of the public, health care professionals, licensees, and media.” Khoury was asked if the department has email databases for other patients, such as cancer, COVID-19 or HIV, but provided no details if such databases exist or if they also were used to promote the governor’s budget. It’s shocking the state would use the patient email list for its policy agenda, said state Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried, a former agriculture commissioner who oversaw the list of concealed weapons license holders.