Avoid Medical Marijuana Scams, Health Officials Warn

TALLAHASSEE, FL —The Florida Department of Health warns Florida residents to avoid falling victim to medical marijuana scams. Health officials say a recent case involved a Florida lawyer who was offering "official legal certifications” for marijuana use to clients as well as "grow signs” he claimed permitted patients to grow their own marijuana.

On Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court disbarred former Jacksonville lawyer Ian Christensen for charging $799 for a “patient identification card” that he told his clients would keep them from getting arrested for possessing or growing marijuana. Courts documents said several of Christensen’s clients were arrested and prosecuted.

One client who was provided a “grow sign” to announce he was cultivating marijuana at home was arrested after someone saw the sign and called 911, the Associated Press reported.

Christensen formed Health Law Services in Jacksonville within a year of being admitted to The Florida Bar in 2013. He referred clients to a doctor who would “prescribe” them marijuana and then issued “Official Legal Certifications” and identification cards saying they had a medical need for the drug and could legally possess use and grow it. The doctor that his clients paid $799 to see wasn’t licensed to practice in Florida.

The Health Department offered these tips to help protect you from scams involving medical marijuana.

• Only approved medical marijuana treatment centers are authorized in Florida to dispense medical marijuana to qualified patients and legal representatives. Patients are not allowed to grow marijuana in Florida.
• Only qualified physicians are permitted to certify patients for medical marijuana us. Qualified physicians can be searched here
• The Office of Medical Marijuana Use, through its contracted vendor Veritec, is the only entity issuing legal identification cards for medical marijuana in Florida. No other entity is authorized to process applications. Do not provide personal health or credit card information to any entity advertising the ability to obtain medical marijuana cards.

In 2016, voters passed a constitutional amendment to authorize medical use of marijuana, and lawmakers last year put rules in place for its use and cultivation. Homegrown marijuana and smokable forms of the drug aren’t authorized.

To file a complaint against a licensed health care professional, visit the Florida Health Care Complaint Portal here.

To report scams to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services call 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352).

To report fraud to the Attorney General's office call 1-866-966-7226.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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