By Jon Silman

Last week, a Florida pro-pot lawyer named Michael Minardi successfully argued that a man arrested on charges of growing weed needed the drug for medicinal purposes. It’s the first such decision in a Florida jury trial—ever.

Following an anonymous tip in 2013, Broward County Sheriff’s Deputies found and confiscated 46 plants and arrested Jesse Teplicki, a 50-year-old suffering from chronic anorexia. He passionately testified in court that he needed the weed to be a productive member of society.

A jury agreed.

The case sets a precedent for future trials and also highlights Florida’s inch-by-inch slog toward acceptance of weed. Last November, 58 percent of Floridians voted to permit medical marijuana in Florida, narrowly falling short of the required 60 percent threshold. In the Florida legislature, a bill is snaking its way through the Senate that would allow doctors to use cannabis to treat patients with illnesses such as ALS, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and Crohn’s disease. [Read More at Vice]