Florida voters will be able to decide whether or not cannabis should be allowed for recreational use in the state beginning on November 6, 2020. The question is: how? Floridians will vote on a ballot measure known as the “Cannabis Ballot Measure.”
The proposed amendment would allow residents of the state to vote on legislation regarding the legalization of medical and/or recreational cannabis at the general election every four years starting in 2024.
The text of the amendment states that: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, beginning December 5, 2024, a qualified patient or designated caregiver may possess, purchase, manufacture, grow, and use marijuana accessories and up to 10 ounces of marijuana flower at their residence as long as they are also permitted under s. 3093.
What Does the Cannabis Ballot Measure Do?
If passed, Florida’s Cannabis Ballot Measure would allow citizens to vote on a referendum related to legalizing cannabis for recreational use in the state. In other words, the ballot measure would allow Florida residents to vote directly on an amendment to legalize recreational marijuana.
If passed, Florida’s Cannabis Ballot Measure would allow citizens to vote on a referendum related to legalizing cannabis for recreational use in the state. In other words, the ballot measure would allow Florida residents to vote directly on an amendment to legalize recreational marijuana.
Why Is Florida Putting a Cannabis Ballot Measure on the ballot?
Ever since the state’s medical marijuana amendment was passed in 2016, the same cause has remained a priority in 2020. This time, advocates are pushing to legalize marijuana for all adults in the state. Proponents of the measure say that legalizing cannabis would have a number of positive effects on the state, including a potential boost to the state’s economy, lessening the burden on the jail system, and more.
Additionally, the ballot measure would allow for the expansion of Florida’s budding medical marijuana industry. Currently, the only options for patients seeking to purchase or use medical marijuana are to grow their own or to find a caregiver who is willing to let them use their permitted plant. The ballot measure would make it easier for patients to find access to marijuana by offering it in the form of flowers or oils.
How Would Legalizing Recreational Cannabis Work in Florida?
Under the ballot measure, individuals 21 years of age and older would be given the option to purchase marijuana from licensed retailers. Individuals could only purchase marijuana in the form of flowers, edibles, concentrates, or plant material. The ballot measure would not allow for the sale of marijuana in the form of “shatter,” which is unground plant material, or in the form of “dabs,” which is a concentrated form of THC.
The ballot measure would also limit the amount an individual could purchase to no more than two ounces of marijuana each week. Individuals could consume marijuana in the same way they can currently consume alcohol.
This would include the ability to consume marijuana in public, smoke it in designated areas, and have it in edible or another form. The ballot measure would also allow for the recreational use of vaporizers and medical marijuana patients could continue to use vaporizers.
Florida’s Recreational Marijuana Laws
Currently, a growing number of states have begun to tackle the issue of cannabis legalization. Four states have already legalized recreational marijuana: California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. Additionally, recreational marijuana is legal in another 29 states and Washington, D.C. In Florida, possession of fewer than 20 grams of cannabis is a petty misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $500.
It is also a part of the state’s open-container law, which prohibits the possession of alcohol in public. However, Florida’s laws concerning the possession and use of vaporizers are more limited. Though the ballot measure would legalize the use of all forms of cannabis, Florida’s laws would not change for recreational users until the state’s legislature made changes in the future.
Should Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?
Yes, but only if the Cannabis Ballot Measure is passed. While legalizing recreational cannabis would allow for the expansion of the state’s medical marijuana industry, the ballot measure would make these increases even more likely by allowing qualifying patients to buy marijuana from licensed retailers.
Currently, a growing number of states have begun to tackle the issue of cannabis legalization. Four states have already legalized recreational marijuana: California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. Additionally, recreational marijuana is legal in another 29 states and Washington, D.C. In Florida, possession of fewer than 20 grams of cannabis is a petty misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $500.
It is also a part of the state’s open-container law, which prohibits the possession of alcohol in public. However, Florida’s laws concerning the possession and use of vaporizers are more limited. Though the ballot measure would legalize the use of all forms of cannabis, Florida’s laws would not change for recreational users until the state’s legislature made changes in the future.
Conclusion
Florida’s voters will decide whether to legalize recreational cannabis in the state when they go to the polls in November 2020. If approved, individuals 21 years of age and older would be given the option to purchase marijuana in the form of flowers, edibles, concentrates, or plant material. The ballot measure would not allow for the sale of marijuana in the form of “shatter,” which is unground plant material, or in the form of “dabs,” which is a concentrated form of THC.
The ballot measure would also limit the amount an individual could purchase to no more than two ounces of marijuana each week. Additionally, the ballot measure would allow for the expansion of Florida’s budding medical marijuana industry by allowing patients with a qualifying condition to buy marijuana from licensed retailers.
While legalizing recreational cannabis would allow for the expansion of the state’s medical marijuana industry, the ballot measure would make these increases even more likely by allowing qualifying patients to buy marijuana from licensed retailers.
