Florida Marijuana | FL Marijuana Florida Marijuana News and Information
So far, eight cities and five counties in Florida have decriminalized marijuana possession. Now the state will hear arguments to decriminalize marijuana statewide.
Given that Tampa, Orlando and Miami-Dade County have already decriminalized marijuana, supporters think decriminalization should be discussed, according to WJHG 7 News. If decriminalization efforts succeed, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana would be a first-degree misdemeanor with a $100 penalty.
Jodi James of Florida Cannabis Action Network said, “Right now we have millions of people who are living under one law and millions more who are living under a different law.”
Jeff Sharkey of the Medical Marijuana Business Association said, “You don’t have to throw people in jail, ruin their lives over something that’s maybe an adolescent or a juvenile or a young adult mistake.”
House Bill 1397 was approved by the House Appropriations Committee to implement the 2016 medical marijuana constitutional amendment, according to Florida Politics. It moves to the Health & Human Services Committee before a full House vote takes place. This bill wants the 90-day waiting period upheld along with prohibiting vaping, edibles and smokable forms of marijuana.
Senate Bill 406 is also getting some attention but it is far more restrictive than House Bill 1397.
Supporters of medical marijuana say the 90-day waiting period and smoking prohibition don’t “honor the spirit of the amendment”. Representative Jared Moskowitz says that the 90-day waiting period to receive a recommendation from a physician is “completely ridiculous”. Representative Katie Edwards agrees with Moskowitz.
Edwards said, “I’m tired of apologizing, members. Don’t make the same mistake I did on some of these issues and have to tell a relative ‘I’m sorry.’”
The biggest things still being debated as these bills gain more approvals is the 90-day waiting period, which many lawmakers want removed, and the ban on smokable marijuana.
