As the Legislature reaches the halfway point of the 2020 session, no committee has yet to hear any of the wide range of bills filed to address a list of issues in Florida’s medical marijuana program. Marijuana advocates are frustrated and people in the industry are left scratching their heads. 2019 was an eventful year […]
florida marijuana
Recreational pot ballot proposal fizzles, but new pot bills filed in Tallahassee
Voters will not vote to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida this year. After a brief but expensive campaign, the Make it Legal Florida political committee ended its effort Monday to get recreational marijuana on the 2020 ballot. The campaign, which raised over $8.7 million in primarily marijuana industry money since it launched in August, has […]
Legalize marijuana amendment should be kept off the ballot, Florida GOP leaders tell Supreme Court
Attorney General Ashley Moody and the state House and Senate want the Florida Supreme Court to reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational marijuana use, arguing the measure wouldn’t fully inform voters that pot remains illegal under federal law. Lawyers for Moody, the House and the Senate filed briefs late Monday contending that […]
Recreational marijuana backers in Florida seek more time for petition signatures
Arguing that a new law violates constitutional rights, supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking more time to submit petition signatures to get on the November ballot. The political committee Make It Legal Florida filed the lawsuit in Leon County circuit court targeting the constitutionality of […]
Finally, you’ll be able to buy marijuana the way you want it in Florida
Many of Florida’s marijuana dispensaries were not ready when Gov. Ron DeSantis made smokable medical marijuana legal in March.They were busy making oils, capsules, vape cartridges and other cannabis products. In recent months, dispensaries have been struggling to provide enough smokable whole flower, which is the entire marijuana bud, to meet patients’ demands. Some patients prefer smoking […]
Recreational Weed Would Pump $190 Million Into Florida’s Economy, Report Says
If approved in 2020, recreational marijuana could inject a whopping $190 million in sales tax and tourism dollars into Florida each year. That’s according to a recent financial analysis of an ongoing ballot initiative, which a state commission reviewed earlier this month. The analysts say the overall economic effect would be “slightly positive” — more or less […]
Two Bills Could Dismantle Florida’s Medical Marijuana “Cartel”
Here in Florida, companies like Philip Morris and Bacardi aren’t required to cultivate and process raw plant material and then package, distribute, and sell their cigarettes and rum. But for some reason, state law requires medical marijuana producers to operate exactly this way. As it currently stands, Florida legislation requires the medical marijuana industry to […]
Florida lawmakers want to give veterans medical marijuana cards for free
With data continuing to roll in that underscores the health benefits of cannabis, two Florida legislators aren’t waiting for clarity in the national policy debates and are sponsoring bills designed to give medical marijuana cards to military veterans free of charge. Last week, the Journal of Psychopharmacology added yet another study to the growing body of […]
Florida Schools Finally Allow Students to Use Medical Marijuana on Campus
After decades of futile “Just Say No” policies, Florida school districts are implementing medical marijuana guidelines for students who have medical marijuana cards and need to medicate during school hours. Contrary to the image of the stoner cutup in class, cannabis has shown promise as a treatment for ADHD. CBD has also been shown to be […]
Recreational Marijuana Would Create More Than 100,000 New Jobs in Florida, Study Says
The number of jobs related to hemp, cannabis, and marijuana could increase more than sevenfold in Florida by the year 2025 — that is, if recreational marijuana gains approval in the November 2020 election. The prediction comes from a new study on the cannabis industry conducted by New Frontier Data. “Assuming full federal legalization, New Frontier Data […]
