By Justine Griffin, Tampa Bay Times, April 14, 2017

While Florida voters have overwhelmingly voted to make medical marijuana legal, it’s up to the Legislature to translate how it will work. There’s a lot at stake. It may seem like a basic humanitarian issue for patients who want simple and affordable access to medical marijuana. But it’s not. Why? For one, medical marijuana is projected to become a $1 billion industry in Florida within the next three years.

So far, only seven companies have been licensed by the state to produce, cultivate and sell it. They are responsible for providing patients who suffer from debilitating conditions with a medicinal alternative to prescription drugs. Often described as the “cartels,” Florida’s seven licensed cannabis companies have millions in investment behind them. They donated more than a half-million dollars in campaign contributions and employ well-known lobbyists in Tallahassee. Some have started to open dispensaries while others are just getting their production facilities up and running. But none has made any significant profit yet, nor have they since the start in 2014, as the state’s burgeoning patient population is only just starting to grow.

While those who defend the cartel system say it will ensure tight state control, others argue that it will keep prices needlessly high for some patients. When I visited a handful of dispensaries around the state, prices ranged from $50 to $250 for monthly supplies of some products.

“Florida is very different than other states’ medical marijuana programs. The argument is that having only seven companies gives the state more control, but it also creates a quasi monopoly — all the production is concentrated and you lose variety and quality that way,” said Peter Sessa, co-founder of the Tampa-based Florida Cannabis Coalition. “Without an open market, prices will be high for patients who can’t use their insurance to pay for it.”

Midway through the legislative session, the two chambers are still working out how the system will work — laws that would take effect this summer. This much is known. Seven companies will have much of the action, maybe all of it. Here are the seven CEOs behind the state’s currently approved medical marijuana companies.

The Tampa Bay Times analyzed campaign contributions and interviewed executives behind the state’s legal cannabis companies. Here are their backgrounds.

Click here to read more about each company.