Florida is the latest state to sidestep the authority of the Food and Drug Administration by allowing patients to access certain stem-cell treatments that have not been rigorously evaluated and approved. Under a new law that went into effect July 1, doctors in Florida can administer unapproved stem-cell therapies for wound care, pain management, or orthopedic purposes. But despite decades of research, stem cells have not produced the kinds of cures that scientists had hoped for. The Florida law prohibits stem-cell therapies derived from embryos and classifies the use of embryonic stem cells as a third-degree felony. The Florida law does not specify whether stem cells offered in the state must be minimally manipulated, presumably allowing cells that are manipulated beyond that standard.