Non-euphoric pot may nudge forward in the Legislature this year, but the window for a full-fledged medical marijuana system has all but slammed shut.

A bill by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, that would allow broad use of medical marijuana has not been scheduled for a committee hearing. Neither has a companion House bill, and by House rules, the deadline for that is Tuesday. Nor has leadership in either chamber shown any signs of making marijuana a high priority.

“We are in legislative purgatory,” Brandes said Monday. “It’s difficult to see how my bill moves forward at this point.”

Brandes’ bill would have allowed counties to decide on how many state regulated marijuana dispensaries would operate in their jurisdictions. It would have allowed multiple qualifying diagnoses for patients, based on a doctor’s exam. [Read more at the Tampa Bay Times]