Senate Democrat files bill to legalize recreational marijuana

by | Mar 3, 2023



  • A bill has been filed in Florida that would legalize recreational marijuana use for individuals over the age of 21 and allow them to grow up to six plants at home.
  • The proposed legislation would allow eligible users to possess and use up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, as well as “transfer, without remuneration,” up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and up to six seedlings.
  • The bill adds to ongoing efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida, including a constitutional amendment challenge by the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which has already gathered over 420,000 valid signatures.

Victor Torres, a Democrat member of the Florida Senate, filed a bill on Friday that seeks to legalize recreational marijuana use in the state for individuals 21 and older. The legislation would also allow Floridians to grow up to six marijuana plants at their place of residence.

The measure, if adopted, grants eligible users the right to possess and use up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis while also being able to “transfer, without remuneration,” up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and up to 6 seedlings.

The bill adds to ongoing calls to legalize recreational marijuana, including a constitutional amendment challenge. The campaign, led by the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, totals 420,073 valid signatures at the time of this writing. The proposal would allow people 21 or older to “possess, use, purchase, display, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and marijuana accessories for personal use for any reason.”

Backers — like Trulieve, which has contributed more than $20 million to the cause — are working to gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot next year. To reach the ballot, the political committee will have to submit 891,589 valid signatures and receive the Florida Supreme Court’s approval.

The campaign collected enough signatures in February to trigger a state Supreme Court review of the initiative, accruing the necessary 294,000 valid signatures from Florida voters.

The proposal also would allow any of the state’s 22 licensed medical marijuana operators to “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute such products and accessories.”

In 2020, a campaign called Make It Legal Florida attempted to gather enough signatures to put a marijuana legalization amendment on the state’s 2020 ballot but failed to reach the minimum count.

Medical marijuana was legalized in Florida in 2016 through a ballot initiative known as Amendment 2. The initiative was approved by 71 percent of voters, making Florida one of 33 states, as well as the District of Columbia, to have legalized medical marijuana in some form. The initiative was sponsored by a political action committee called United for Care, which was led by Orlando attorney John Morgan.

Amendment 2 proposed amending the Florida Constitution to allow the use of medical marijuana by individuals with debilitating medical conditions, as determined by a licensed Florida physician. The initiative outlined a list of qualifying conditions, such as cancer, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, among others.

4 Comments

  1. Ron Kirkland

    When are our elected representative`s going to hear what We The People want? Legalize already!

  2. Anonymous

    JUSTICE DENIED IS JUST US DELAYED !!!

  3. jtwanless

    Science and widespread experience have shown marijuana has no significant harms. Those who shout about serious harms are lying. Polls show 68 percent of all Americans want to end the monstrously destructive, insane war on marijuana consumers. More than 90 percent approve of medical marijuana. Now, even a majority of Republicans want to end this sick, witch hunt. – So why do we still have it?

    Because police and prosecutors build their careers and empires on the fraudulent marijuana prohibition. Because industries like alcohol and pharmaceuticals don’t want the competition. Because other interests like the bogus “treatment” quacks, the drug testing industry and the prison industries depend on it for their life’s blood. Because many banks and shaky corporations couldn’t exist without the laundered money.

    Let’s join the 21 Free States and stomp these parasites into the ground!

  4. jsub954

    tbh it’s almost legal now with our p4p mmj program. Once they garner enough signatures and put the vote before the people it will come damm close if not pass so these FL politicians would be smart(wishful thinking) to just give themselves a W an get ahead of the game by passing a bill, it’d work wonders for their political careers..only downside I can foresee would be the sheer mass amount of migration to FL that would occur as a result of legalization.

 

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