Surterra, awellnesscenter inTampa, isdesignatedto providemedicalmarijuanafor SWFlorida. Itwas the firstcompanyallowed toharvestmarijuana inthe state.

Inside/5A

Patients,doctors getgreenlightfor medicalmarijuana.

DISPENSARIES AIM TO

RICARDO ROLON / THE NEWS-PRESS

TAMPA – Vials of cannabis-laced sprays, lo-

tions and tinctures line display shelves a

few steps from handbags specially de-

signed to tote marijuana products.

A stylish kitchenette and table is on the opposite

side of this Surterra Wellness Center medical mar-

ijuana showroom, space used to host educational

sessions on the merits of the drug – something legal

only under very strict circumstances in Florida un-

til Amendment 2 took effect last week.

This 2,000-square-foot storefront, one of a hand-

ful of Florida dispensaries that have opened in re-

cent months, looks more like a day spa lobby or

high-end salon. Nothing about it evokes images of

the seedy bong-filled pot shops of popular imagina-

tion.

“I think it’s great. You walk in and it’s nice and

clean,” said Deanna Lolley of Riverview, who buys

‘NORMALIZE’MEDICAL MARIJUANA

FRANK GLUCK FGLUCK@NEWS-PRESS.COM

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AMENDMENT 2 GOES LIVE

See Normalize, Page 4A

WASHINGTON – Sen. MarcoRubio said he hasn’t decided wheth-er he’ll vote to confirm Rex Tiller-son as President-elect DonaldTrump’s choice for secretary ofstate after a daylong hearingWednesday that provided sometense moments between the FloridaRepublican and the recently retiredCEO of ExxonMobil.

Unsatisfied with some answersTillerson gave the Foreign Rela-tions Committee on Russia and hu-man rights, Rubio said after thehearing he will take time to “lookthrough this” as he weighs whetherto give his blessing to the man nomi-nated to what Rubio called the “sec-ond most important position in theU.S. Executive Branch.”

“I’m prepared to do what’sright,” he said when asked about hisvote. “I have a very clear view onforeign policy (and) my view is thatthe president deserves wide lati-tude in their nominations. But themore important the position, theless latitude they have.”

A no vote from Rubio could sinkTillerson’s nomination and giveTrump his first setback with fellowRepublicans who control Congress.Rubio is seen as the key vote on thepanel, made up of 11 Republicansand 10 Democrats, who are unlikelyto back Tillerson. The panel’s en-dorsement is crucial to his confir-

TRUMP CABINET

RubiopressesTillerson Florida senator unsatisfiedwith answers on RussiaLEDYARD KING USA TODAY NETWORK - FLORIDA

RexTillerson,DonaldTrump’schoice forsecretary ofstate,testifiesWednesdayduring hisconfirmationhearingbefore theSenateForeignRelationsCommittee.

See Rubio, Page 5A

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tinctures of cannabis-laced drops for herepileptic son. “To tell you the truth, Ididn’t know what to expect.”

More than 60 Florida communitieshave temporarily banned such centers,including Bonita Springs and Estero,fearing what such shops might bring. Butothers may soon welcome these potentialbig-revenue generators as state regula-tors dramatically expand access to thedrug.

The half-dozen companies allowed toproduce and dispense medical marijuanaare doing their best to dispel fears. Thegoal, said spokeswoman Monica Russell,is to “normalize” medical marijuana use.

“The idea is to make patients feel com-fortable, to make a mother with a sickchild or a sick parent — or herself, who isdealing with an ailment — make her feelcomfortable to bring her child in with heror bring her elderly parent in here and notfeel like she is doing something wrong,”she said. “We’re not going to hide whatwe’re doing.”

Walk-ins are infrequent but regular,staff say. Most are established patients.Occasionally someone will drop in andask how to qualify for medical marijuana.

During an hourlong visit last week by areporter, several people stopped by.

The Surterra dispensary announces itspresence, and the fact it offers medicalmarijuana, with a prominent sign alongthe main road to its host shopping center.

The neighborhood itself is a commer-cial district less than a mile west of theUniversity of South Florida. Its neighborsinclude an insurance office, propertymanagers, a Pizza Hut and a ChipotleMexican Grill.

Sherri Abbonizio, an insurance agentat All Star Insurance next to the shop, saidshe didn’t even know Surterra Wellness

was a marijuana dispensary until a re-porter recently told her.

“I think whatever helps people isgreat,” she said. Abbonizio said the store-front has seen many tenants come and go.“I think this is a lot better than what’sbeen there. It looks a lot better.”

Assortment of productsThe store, which is supervised by a

registered nurse, offers three types ofmedical marijuana products: Sprays andtinctures, both which are used orally; andlotion, which is rubbed on and typicallymarketed to spot-treat pain.

The store will soon begin sales of va-porizers, which are used much like elec-tronic cigarettes.

Products high in the euphoria-produc-ing component of marijuana known asTHC (tetrahydrocannabinol) come inthree strengths. The “calm” varietieshave the lowest levels; the “soothe” ismiddle-of-the road; and the “relief” is thehighest strength — commonly recom-mended for pain relief in cancer patients.

The calming oil tincture is currentlythe store’s most commonly purchaseditem, said Stephanie Maruca, the store’son-site nurse and its director. Though Ma-ruca said she expects the vaporizers willsoon take that top spot.

Costs for a typical 45-day supply ofcannabis products range from $50 to$350, depending on dosage and type ofproduct. Insurance does not cover any ofthe cost.

The handbags on sale look like anypurse or handbag, though some havelocks. Others offer heavy insulation, sothe cannabis scent is undetectable.

Controversial but popularDespite its increasing popularity with

the public, marijuana’s actual benefits asa medical therapy are a matter of somescientific controversy.

One recent studypublished in the Jour-nal of the American Medical Associationthat analyzed 79 randomized trials found

only “moderate-quality evidence” sup-porting marijuana’s supposed pain relief.

It also found “low-quality” evidencedemonstrating its efficacy in easing nau-sea and vomiting associated with chemo-therapy, helping with weight gain in HIVpatients and helping with sleep disorders.

Still, many swear by it.Lolley said she has seen the benefits

first-hand and doesn’t mind spendinghundreds of dollars a month to buy a tinc-ture of low-THC drops for her adult son.

Before he started using cannabis, hewould suffer seizures at least once everyother week, she said. She said he hasn’thad one in two months, shortly after hestarted cannabis treatment.

“It’s kind of high (priced), but it’s work-ing for him,” Lolley said. “If it helps himnot have a seizure, I’ll buy it. He’s like awhole different person since he startedtaking it.”

Few Florida shops, so farSurterra opened its Wellness Center in

Tampa, its first, in October. It is one of five brick-and-mortar dis-

pensaries state regulators have approvedand, along with stores in Tampa and Mi-ami, are the nearest to Southwest Florida.

(The Bradenton Herald recentlyreported that another operated by themedical marijuana company, Trulieve,will soon come to that city.)

Two other companies, Knox and Chest-nut Hill, provide only delivery, accordingto the Florida Department of Health.

Qualifying patients in Southwest Flori-da may obtain the drug by courier. But itmay be some time before this region seesits own dispensary.

There are moratoriums in south LeeCounty communities, though the countygovernment has not taken an official posi-tion. Naples signaled its skepticism withits own ban on dispensaries in 2014.

The city of Fort Myers is also prepar-ing its own ordinance that would ban suchestablishments for at least six months,said Fort Myers spokeswoman Kirsten

O’Donnell. The city has not yet been ap-proached by any state-approved marijua-na producers, O’Donnell added.

Surterra officials, now finalizing plansto open a shop in Pensacola, hope to even-tually move into Southwest Florida.

“We’re working on it. But those folksdown there were among the first to putmoratoriums in place,” said CameronChampion, Surterra’s chief operating of-ficer. “We will be there as soon as they willallow us.”

More customers comingFor now, nearly 1,800 in Florida have

jumped through the procedural hurdlesneeded to get access to medical marijua-na, according to the Florida Departmentof Health. And, as of this week, 388 doc-tors are allowed to help them procure it.

Most opt for delivery, industry insid-ers say.

Surterra’s own customers number inthe hundreds, Champion said. Thoughthey expect that to change quickly oncemore patients begin qualifying underAmendment 2 later this year.

Before the passage of Amendment 2only two kinds of patients could accessmedical marijuana: Those with certainmedical conditions, such as chronic sei-zures, who benefit from noneuphoriccan-nabis; and patients with terminal illnesseswanting to use full-strength marijuana toease their pain and other symptoms.

The constitutional amendment passedin November expands eligibility to pa-tients with “debilitating illnesses,” suchas cancer and post-traumatic stress disor-der. One Florida analysis concluded thatAmendment 2 might qualify 450,000 Flor-ida patients for marijuana.

Surterra is quite aware of the growthpotential.

“We have a huge expansion plan inplace,” said Russell, the company’sspokeswoman. “We’re looking at placesall over the state.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter:@FrankGluck

NormalizeContinued from Page 1A

Florida’s nascent cannabis industry began opening shops before voters went to the polls. Called “wellness centers,” these facilities, such as Surterra, are designed to provide access to patientswho qualified under the existing law.

Florida Lottery Results are for tickets sold only in Florida

FLORIDA LOTTO

Saturday, Jan. 7 ..................... 2-5-28-30-31-33 x26 of 6: No winner. 5 of 6: $4,373.50 (20). 4 of 6: $69 (1,200). 3 of 6: $5 (25,237). 2 (with XTRA): Free ticket (58,032).

POWERBALL

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MEGA MILLIONS

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LUCKY MONEY

Tuesday, Jan. 10 ...........................2-14-16-39 LB: 174+LB: $500,000 (1). 4 of 4: $1,386.50 (4). 3+LB: $392 (31). 3 of 4: $64.50 (553). 2+LB: $19.50 (1,291). 2 of 4: $2 (18,584). 1+LB: $2.50 (11,805). LB: Free ticket (29,728).

FANTASY 5

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PICK 2, 3, 4, 5

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Wednesday, Jan. 11 Evening9-8 .......... 9-6-7 .......... 9-9-3-6 .......... 2-2-0-7-1