In a shocking surprise…medical marijuana patients, including veterans, may have had their information leaked thanks to the Governor.
Florida voters have overwhelmingly approved of marijuana use in the sunshine state. In the first election for medical marijuana, over 60% of citizens voted yes. Governor DeSantis said too bad. In the second vote, the approve vote was 71% and the Governor said the public didn’t understand and he slow rolled it out. Now he is working on trying to block a third vote for recreational. But the latest action has left citizens stunned, now Floridans worried about governor leaking health info for an email campaign.
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Science, the American Medical Association and the federal Health and Human Services department all agree cannabis can benefit patients with a variety of ailments. Medical marijuana is recognized as a treatment for PTSD, chronic pain, cancer and more. More research will unlock additional information about the plant, but it is a good start and is one of the basis for rescheduling. HIPAA is law passed in 1996 aimed to alter the transfer of healthcare information, stipulated the guidelines by which personally identifiable information maintained by the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries should be protected from fraud and theft. Somewhere it slipped in Florida.
Florida’s Department of Health recently emailed nearly 700,000 medical marijuana patients, praising Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The email promoted achievements of the governor and how it helps them. This is despite is overwhelming opposition not to just recreational cannabis use and legalization, but also the original law which allowed them be prescribed medical marijuana.
The email also 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.”
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Medical marijuana patients and advocates say the DeSantis administration violated their privacy by using the patient list to promote policy.
“That is revolting. That is really such a misuse of power and information,” said state Rep. Kelly Skidmore, the ranking Democrat on the House Health Policy Committee.
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 apparently to promote the Governor and First Lady.
