Florida State Attorney to Stop Prosecuting Marijuana Possession

Florida State Attorney Jack Campbell says his office will no longer be prosecuting cases of marijuana possession if there is not a direct confession. Once the state has appropriate testing to differentiate hemp from cannabis, prosecutions may resume – unless the state legalizes recreational marijuana before then.

Campbell penned a letter to the state’s law enforcement agencies regarding the change, ABC Action News reported. One of the biggest changes occurring is that search warrants won’t be authorized moving forward that are based upon a “presumptive test,” which, for example, would be something like a K-9 alerting an officer that is smells marijuana.

Campbell said, “Some municipal labs in larger jurisdictions are also trying to invest in technology that will either allow full or partial quantification. If FDLE does so, or your agency is willing to have the samples privately tested, we will consider filing these cases.”

Campbell has said that his office will work to urge the state legislature to assist in funding new testing methods.