Following the instructions of the state’s new governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, the Parliament of Florida is actively considering the possibility of lifting the previously adopted ban restricting consumers of medical cannabis in the choice of therapeutic products. At the moment, the discussion on the abolition of this restriction is progressing at different speeds in both chambers of the legislative assembly, however, it is expected that by mid-March, the ban on the distribution of non-extracted hemp for personal consumption will be lifted.
Recall that at the end of 2016, during a public referendum, the citizens of Florida approved the adoption of a bill on the legalization of therapeutic marijuana; however, already in 2017, conservative politicians were able to make adjustments to the draft, including, inter alia, the current prohibition on smoking therapeutic marijuana in its natural form. Both DeSantis and his predecessor as governor, now Senator Republican, Rick Scott, appealed against the ban, on the grounds that he grossly violated the will of the citizens who voted in the referendum. Politicians proposed not to bring the trial to court, provided that the state parliament can discuss the possibility of lifting the restriction until mid-spring.
On the side of the reformers is also the new Minister of Health of the region, Republican Ray Rodriguez, who noted in a recent interview that it was high time for Florida to follow the standard of medical reform, which proved to be in other regions of the country. He also warned his colleagues about the danger of the abolition of existing laws regarding medical cannabis, in case the case does get to court.
“In the worst case, the market will, in fact, be completely deregulated,” Rodriguez said. “And this means that anyone can legally grow and distribute cannabis.”
In addition to the legalization of smoking marijuana, amendments that allow the use of therapeutic marijuana only as a “last resort” treatment, as well as a strict ban on its use for persons under 18 years of age were also in question.
As one of the supporters of the bill in the state Senate, Republican Jeff Brendz, opponents of the reform of the law on the dissemination of therapeutic cannabis have already tried to sabotage the process of the working discussion, deciding to include in its text the provision that permission to buy legal marijuana should at least two attending physicians.
“Despite resistance from some nastily conservatives, I believe that most people will still vote for a peaceful settlement of the issue, and not for a separation of the lawsuits,”
– Mr. Rodriguez hopes.