A political committee has started moving forward with a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow medical-marijuana patients and patients’ caregivers to grow cannabis at home.
pot
Florida Supreme Court Rejects Recreational Pot Amendment from 2022 Ballot
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing people to use recreational marijuana, saying it would be misleading to voters because it’s still illegal under federal law.
One Undisputed Winner on Election Night: Marijuana
Majorities of Americans decided in favor of every marijuana-related proposition placed before them — a clean sweep — and they did so by record margins, whether to cultivate pot, use it recreationally or use it medicinally.
Florida Supreme Court Weighs Wording of Recreational Marijuana Ballot Proposal
An attorney for Make It Legal Florida, said the proposal “piggybacks” on a system resulting from a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana in the state. Lawmakers and groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce trying to block the measure.
State Health Department Pushing Against Less Regulated Interpretation of Medical Marijuana Grower Rules
State health officials urged the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling by the 1st District Court of Appeal that said a key part of the law conflicted with the 2016 constitutional amendment, approved by 71 percent of Florida voters.
Recreational Pot Proposal Won’t Make It to the November Ballot
Make It Legal Florida contended that a petition-gathering law passed year by the Legislature is unconstitutional and that problems with a Department of State database hampered petition efforts.
GOP Legislators Claim Restrictions on Medical Pot Keeps It From Ending Up In Recreational Hands
In a Florida Supreme Court case with major ramifications for the medical-marijuana industry, the Florida House contends a disputed 2017 law helps prevent “diversion” of pot to the illegal recreational market, minors and other states.
Is Marijuana a Gateway Drug?
Like nearly all Americans of a certain age, we were told in school that tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are gateway drugs — and that is why marijuana should remain illegal. The myth bears closer examination.
Fact Check: Surgeon General’s Marijuana Warning of ‘Gateway Effect’ Revives Controversial Claim
Whether marijuana can “prime your brain for addiction” elicits responses all over the map — reflecting just how contested this issue is and how difficult it is to speak definitively about marijuana’s impact.
U.S. House Approves Bill Allowing Banks to Help Marijuana Businesses, But Senate Uncertain
The bill would prevent marijuana businesses from operating on a cash basis. Cash-only businesses can attract thieves and make it harder for law enforcement to monitor financial transactions.
State By State, the War on Pot Is Ending
Dozens of new state laws are expanding legal cannabis use — and expunging the records of users caught up in the system. This unprecedented wave of legislative activity at the state level is yet further evidence that public consensus on cannabis legalization has undergone a seismic shift.
Florida’s House and Senate Are Nearing a Deal on Allowing Any Form of Smokable Pot
Under the revised plan, dispensaries could sell any form of smokable marijuana, and patients could buy devices to smoke cannabis at state-licensed medical marijuana treatment centers or other retail outlets, such as head shops.
Let Marijuana Help Fight Opioid Abuse
It’s time for lawmakers and health officials to recognize the well-established power of medical marijuana to treat chronic pain — and to acknowledge its emerging role in combating the opioid abuse crisis.
Lawmakers Approve Smokable Pot, But It Must be Pre-Rolled and Filtered
The amendment also would require pre-rolled joints with filters. That was designed to address concerns about the negative health effects of smoking.
At least 100 Pounds of Pot Wash Up on Hammock Shore, But No Finders Keepers as Man Is Arrested
A 61-year-old man was arrested in the Hammock Thursday for allegedly grabbing an 11-pound brick of pot that had washed up on shore.
Bank Closes Campaign Account of Florida Candidate Who Advocates for Medical Marijuana
Nikki Fried, a lawyer running for Commissioner of Agriculture, once lobbied for medical-marijuana operators and helped shape the state’s laws and regulations regarding pot.
Legalizing Recreational Pot Key Issue For Florida Democrats’ Gubernatorial Candidates
John Morgan calls recreational weed a make-or-break issue for Democratic candidates seeking to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
Yes, You May Smoke It: Judge Rules Florida’s Ban on Smoking Medical Marijuana Unconstitutional
Judge Karen Gievers found that a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 gives eligible patients the right to smoke the treatment in private.
All-Cash Business? Not So: Why It’s Getting Easier for Marijuana Shops to Open Bank Accounts
Almost 400 banks and credit unions now serve the medical marijuana industry, according to the U.S. Treasury — a number that has more than tripled since 2014.
Not Dead Yet: County Must Formalize Medical Pot Ban By Ordinance, Giving Advocates Another Go
The Flagler County Commission’s Nov. 20 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries was only one step: commissioners must still pass an ordinance formalizing the ban, twice, giving proponents of dispensaries another chance to make their case.
Grower Sues, Charging Florida Illegally Delays Granting Medical Pot Growing Licenses
Michael Bowen, an epilepsy patient who had a seizure during a Senate committee meeting this year and who uses marijuana to treat his illness, is also a party to the lawsuit.
Where Buying Marijuana is Legal, But There’s Nowhere to Smoke It
Even where it’s legal to sell it, it’s typically illegal to smoke or ingest the drug in dispensaries, bars, restaurants, city parks and public streets. Why?
Where It’s Legal, Pot Leads To Fewer Traffic Stops, But Racial Disparities Remain
The drop means fewer interactions between police and drivers, potentially limiting dangerous clashes. But black and Hispanic drivers are still searched at higher rates than white motorists.
Lawmakers Move Forward With Medical Pot Deal as Vendors Could Each Operate 25 Shops
The state currently has seven licensed marijuana vendors, and the agreement between House and Senate leaders would require health officials to approve 10 new operators by Oct. 3.
Decriminalized Pot-Possession Program Will Advance in Flagler, But With Little Support From Sheriff
The proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot possession in Flagler County has been in limbo for almost a year after a key judicial and law enforcement panel approved it last year, before the election.
No, Attorney General Sessions, Pot Is Not “Only Slightly Less Awful” Than Heroin
Pot is a relatively mild and harmless drug compared to deadly, addictive heroin. Treating users like criminals is a threat to their safety — and so is perpetuating the lie that some drugs are no less harmful than others, writes Jill Richardson.
Stringent Rules By Florida Health Department Would Circumvent Medical Pot Amendment
The proposed rules would maintain current vendors’ stranglehold on the medical marijuana industry and give authority to the Florida Board of Medicine, not individual doctors, to decide which patients qualify for marijuana treatment.
Attention Florida Patients: You May Start Buying Your Pot Treatment in 90 Days
Florida’s top pot cop said today it’s up to doctors to decide to order marijuana for patients with eligible conditions, months before new rules are expected to go into effect.
Pot Amendment Goes Into Effect Amid Mass Confusion and “Dangerous Legal Area”
Proponents of Amendment 2 as well as some marijuana operators are demanding that the state health department provide adequate guidance to the industry about the proposal approved by more than 70 percent of Floridians in November.
Palm Coast Council Talks As If It Wants To Be Pioneer in Medical Pot, But Post-Moratorium
In a radical departure from its previous incarnations, the Palm Coast City Council discussed medical marijuana in terms of economic development potential for the city as well as in line with its purported humane benefits.
Pot Amendment’s Passage Creates a Green Rush in Nation’s 2nd Largest Marijuana Market
Florida voters’ overwhelming approval of a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana for a broad swath of patients may have spurred a green rush into the state by investors eager to cash in.
Amendment 2: Medical Marijuana Through the Eyes and Suffering of Those Who Need It Most
For two years Palm Coast’s Jennifer Kaczmarek, the artist-photographer, has followed 10 families struggling with debilitating illnesses that only marijuana alleviate. They plead for Amendment 2, the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize medicinal marijuana.
Florida Push to Legalize Medical Marijuana Gets $1 Million Boost, Aiding Amendment 2 Vote
It’s the largest single contribution received by supporters of Amendment 2 and comes as the battle over the constitutional question heats up in advance of the Nov. 8 election.
In Latest Delay, Flagler’s Civil Citation Proposal for Pot Users Will Wait Until Late November
Though recommended for approval in Flagler County by a key law enforcement, judicial and government panel, the de-criminalization proposal and judicial panel, the proposal will wait until after the election because of expected changes at the county commission and on the Palm Coast City Council.
The Reek of Hypocrisy Behind Federal Marijuana Laws
In most cases, our laws treat chemicals as safe until proven dangerous. Marijuana, on the other hand, is being held to a higher standard. It’s not even that it’s considered dangerous until proven safe. The government says that they won’t lift regulations on it until it’s proven beneficial.
Key Flagler Panel Votes 7-5 To Endorse Pot Citation Proposal, But Split Reflects Hazy Fate
The proposed ordinance to decriminalize some pot possession now goes to the county commission, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach for approval, but it’s faced sustained opposition.
Flagler Judge Gives Pot Plan a Lift, But Council And Whiff of Politics Again Delay Adoption
The proposal would reduce the penalty for first-time possession of pot to a $250 fine rather than a criminal charge, but it’ll be at least another month before the proposal gets out of a council, if then, and heads for approval (or rejection) by local governments.
Proposal to De-Criminalize Pot Possession Again Teetering as Flagler Council Nears Verdict
The Flagler Public Safety Coordinating Council decides Wednesday whether to recommend the de-criminalization proposal, but the reactions from palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach have been discouraging.
Flagler’s Pot De-Criminalization Proposal Wilts, But Narrower Version Still Possible
A work group meeting Tuesday to craft an ordinance raised more questions and objections than showed agreement, though the proposal is still moving forward in a much narrower version, and has many hurdles yet to cross.
Flagler Takes 1st Step To Pot Decriminalization With Broad Agreement on Principle, Less So on Details
All of Flagler’s major law enforcement and government agencies agree that marijuana decriminalization for first-time offenders is a good idea. The county next will develop an ordinance all can agree on. That step may be more difficult.
Florida’s Tortured Medical Pot Law Regulating Nurseries Keeps Drawing New Legal Challenges
The state has spent nearly $500,000 on private lawyers to represent the Department of Health in legal challenges that have delayed implementation of a 2014 law that first opened the door for medical marijuana in Florida.
Pot-Possession Decriminalization Could Advance in Flagler As Part of Broader Civil Citation Program
Not just the possession of small amounts of pot, but such offenses as battery and criminal mischief could be de-criminalized and shifted to civil citations in an approach that will be studied by a newly formed committee.
Suspect and Victim Both Arrested Following Shooting and Beating Over Tax Refund
Steve Boursiquot is suspected of beating and shooting at Napoleon Lorick, whom Boursiquot accused of stealing his girlfriend’s nearly $3,000 tax refund. Both are at the Flagler County jail, Lorick on a warrant for a minor pot possession.
In Major Shift, Florida Senate Panel Approves Use of “Full-Strength” Pot for Terminally Ill
The bill, in part, would likely lead to more licenses for nurseries that would be able to grow, process and distribute the full-strength and non-euphoric types of pot.
Thanks to Elderly, Florida Medical Marijuana Market Could Be a $1.5 Billion Industry By 2020
Florida is one of four states best positioned to legalize medical marijuana, with the state’s older population playing a large role in the industry’s viability.
Sheriff Manfre Proposes De-Criminalizing Pot Possession; County Officials and State Attorney Open to Idea
Following in the steps of three Florida counties and some 20 states, Sheriff Jim Manfre wants to replace criminal penalties for small amounts of pot with civil fines. State Attorney R.J. Larizza and county officials are willing to explore the new approach.
Florida Supreme Court Unanimously Signs Off On Medical Pot Amendment For 2016 Ballot
People United for Medical Marijuana, which is led and heavily financed by Orlando lawyer John Morgan, still needs to submit 683,149 valid petition signatures to the state by a Feb. 1 deadline.
23 lb. and a Gun: 2nd Pot House in Three Years Is Busted on Palm Coast’s Wheatfield Drive
Ex-FPC football player Daniel Epler, 21, was arrested after 23 pounds of pot, $9,000 in cash and a Cobra handgun were found in his bedroom at a duplex on Wheatfield Drive in Palm Coast.
From a Speeding Stop to an Accusation of Rioting at Flagler Jail: Dustin Singleton’s Spiral
Dustin Singleton, 35, was accused of inciting a riot at the Flagler County Jail Tuesday, a 2nd degree felony, after he refused orders to go to his bunk. He was serving 30 days on a misdemeanor probation violation over a minor pot possession.
Stupid Pot Busts
The conviction for pot smoking of a Palm Coast resident who’d never had so much as a traffic ticket illustrates the sickness of a police and judicial system’s wrongheaded marijuana fixation.