Deerfield-News.com-Deerfied Beach, Fl-This week the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments pertaining to Florida voters being allowed to vote for recreational use of marijuana.
Last week we wrote about Governor DeSantis proposal which would raise the licensing fees “Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers” would pay from $60,000 every two years to 1.3 million every two years. Quite an increase from $30,000 a year to $650,000 a year about 2000 percent. That if adopted would certainly make it much more difficult for anyone other than the 22 current MMTC license holders to be competitive in Florida in a recreational marijuana market. That proposed increase would also increase the value of a Florida MMTC license in the marketplace for those who buy and sell marijuana licenses.
The State of Florida is challenging the petition making it onto the ballot in November of 2024.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce also argued for the State of Florida’s Attorney General’s position. The Chamber of Commerce seems to believe the measure would continue the “Oligopoly” the 22 licensed MMTC’s in Florida now have in selling Medical Marijuana. At present, there are only 22 licensed “Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers” allowed to grow, distribute, and sell Medical Marijuana. Of the 22 licensed MMTC’s nine have retail stores in Deerfield Beach.
Smart and Safe is the moving party seeking to get the initiative on the ballot for voters to decide.
Florida Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, Trulieve the state’s largest seller of medical marijuana with a store in Deerfield Beach has spent 39 Million dollars visa vis “Smart and Safe Florida” to get the proposed initiative on the ballot for the November 2024 election day voting.
The complete oral argument before The Supreme Court of Florida is below on YouTube.
Here’s what the Smart & Safe Florida marijuana legalization initiative would accomplish:
- Adults 21 and older could purchase and possess up to three ounces of cannabis for personal use. The cap for marijuana concentrates would be five grams.
- Medical cannabis dispensaries could “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute marijuana products and marijuana accessories to adults for personal use.”
- The legislature would be authorized—but not required—to approve additional entities that are not currently licensed cannabis dispensaries.
- The initiative specifies that nothing in the proposal prevents the legislature from “enacting laws that are consistent with this amendment.”
- The amendment further clarifies that nothing about the proposal “changes federal law,” which seems to be an effort to avoid past legal challenges about misleading ballot language.
- There are no provisions for home cultivation, expungement of prior records or social equity.
- The measure would take effect six months following approval by voters.
