Rule would bar use of telemedicine for marijuana

The Florida Board of Medicine this week proposed a rule to make clear that doctors cannot use "telemedicine" to order medical marijuana for patients.

Telemedicine involves doctors using the internet and other technology to treat patients who are in other locations. The proposed rule, published Thursday, said that medical marijuana "may not be ordered by means of telemedicine."

Lawmakers in 2014 approved allowing some patients to use non-euphoric medical cannabis and followed up this year by allowing full-strength marijuana for terminally ill patients.

But the use of medical marijuana is expected to dramatically expand after voters last month approved a constitutional amendment that legalizes marijuana for a much-larger number of patients.