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Five growers around the state were officially selected to grow Florida’s first form of medical marijuana in late November. As Matt Galka tells us, those dispensers are getting their first look at state rules that will govern their growing of the low-THC cannabis.

The growers that Florida’s office of compassionate use selected to dispense medical marijuana got their first look at state rules Wednesday. Instead of discussion between the growers and the state, there was a lot of silence.

The draft rules ranged from dispensing requirements, to hygiene and odor control, to security.

“Now that we’ve given out the five approved dispensing licenses, moving forward we now have to ensure that they will continue to operate in a safe and law abiding manner,” said Christian Bax, the state’s director for the Office of Compassionate Use.

After looking at the rules, stakeholders in Florida’s capital said there weren’t many surprises. Susan Driscoll is the managing director of Alpha Foliage and also President of Surterra Therapeutics – one of the five companies selected by the state.

“This is very in line with the application, so at Surterra we feel very comfortable that we can provide safe, natural, helpful products to the patients of Florida,” said Driscoll.

Jeff Sharkey and Taylor Patrick Biehl cofounded the Florida Medical Marijuana Business Association and say that the state is still in a three week period where there could be legal challenges, so there could still be a long road ahead.

“That 21 days ends Monday, so we could certainly see some challenges,” said Sharkey.

Growers and the state are still hoping that the medicine could be available by next summer.

The companies selected had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to post a $5 million dollar performance bond. The Department of Health said four of the five companies had posted the money as of Wednesday afternoon.