Florida's medical marijuana czar gave state senators the same explanation he gave state representatives earlier this month about why his office missed a crucial deadline.

And Florida senators on the Senate Health Policy Committee were having none of it Tuesday.

Florida missed Oct. 3 deadline for medical marijuana dispensary licenses

State senators criticized state's medical marijuana czar's reason

Lawmakers also questioned why it's taking so long for some patients to get IDs

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RELATED: Watch the Senate Health Policy Committee meeting on the Florida Senate website

Christian Bax, executive director of the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use, blamed delays in meeting the Oct. 3 deadline to issue 10 new licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries on a lawsuit involving a black medical marijuana farmer.

The lawsuit has to do with a provision in the medical marijuana law that requires at least one of the new dispensary licenses go to a grower who had been part of cases involving the discrimination of black farmers by the federal government.

The farmer suing the state says the way the law is drawn, only a handful of black farmers can qualify for licenses.

Bax said the lawsuit had put the application process on hold. He said if the application process is struck down in the courts, the office would have to start from the beginning.

Committee Chairwoman Dana Young, R-Tampa, was less than sympathetic to Bax's situation.

“I hear what you’re saying, but doesn’t it seem a bit complacent for you to simply throw your hands up and say, `Oh, we cannot issue. We’ve been sued. Oh no.’ You all get sued all the time,” Young said. “You have a duty under our state laws to issue these licenses, regardless of whether some plaintiff files a lawsuit.”

Meanwhile, FL Senator Lauren Book, D-Plantation, grilled Bax over complaints from constituents waiting for their state-issued identification cards, which patients need in order to purchase medical marijuana.

Book told Bax she investigated the situation and found it took three months, not the 30 days Bax claimed, to get the patient identification card.

Bax said there is a backlog of thousands of people waiting for ID cards. Bax said he was finalizing a deal with an outside vendor that would take over the ID card system. Once that was done, clearing out the backlog was a top priority.

John Morgan attacks Bax, Gov. Scott over holdup

The current holdups at the state level over medical marijuana are not sitting well with a prominent member of the movement -- Orlando attorney John Morgan.

Morgan took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon and wrote several tweets criticizing Bax's reasons for not moving forward with the dispensary licenses. He also had some choice words for Gov. Rick Scott, telling him to #AxBax, or it would haunt Scott's possible bid for Senate in 2018.

Pot Czar Bax is full of 💩, he has nothing to do w/ the litigation Bondi is handling that. Bax is a lazy bureaucrat who refuses to do his job https://t.co/6s2juwvaEG — John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) October 24, 2017

While @FLGovScott tolerates it & sick people wait!



If I were in charge he'd be fired yesterday. Rick I can come up & get it done. In 1 day! — John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) October 24, 2017

.@FLGovScott patient access to #MedicalMarijuana is a HUGE issue!!



If you're not dying or sick you wouldn’t know it or feel it. #AxBax — John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) October 24, 2017