Some medical cannabis doctors and advocates are warning that the adult-use cannabis legalization proposal headed to Florida voters soon could negatively impact cannabis access for the program’s 882,000 patients, Politico reports.
The primary concerns laid out in the report are:
- That adult-use legalization could lead to medical cannabis patients and patient-focused products getting crowded out of the market, and
- That under a so-called “poison pill” piece of the state’s original 2017 medical cannabis law, the entire medical cannabis program could be sunsetted six months after voters adopt another cannabis-related amendment.
“Any sun setting of the current regulatory scheme would put the State in violation of the original medical marijuana amendment. Of course, there is no guarantee how the Legislature will act. The responsible course would be to repeal the poison pill to remove any trace of doubt.” — Smart & Safe Committee statement, via Politico
Florida voters will be deciding on the constitutional amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis in the upcoming November election; constitutional amendments in the state require 60% voter support to pass. If the amendment is approved, licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in the state would be allowed to begin serving adult-use customers — state officials would also be tasked with figuring out a new cannabis industry licensing process, among other regulations. The proposal has been primarily funded by Trulieve, the state’s largest medical cannabis operator.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who does not support the legalization amendment, recently sought unlikely allies against the reforms by vetoing a hemp regulations package that would have banned products containing hemp-derived delta-8 THC and other intoxicating cannabinoids.
The legalization campaign’s constitutionality was previously contested by the state Attorney General but the Supreme Court overruled the challenge and approved the amendment for November ballots.
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