TALLAHASSEE-With just one day left to pass a bill, House and Senate Republican leaders are still struggling to strike a deal on the rollout of a voter-approved constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana for patients with debilitating conditions.
The leaders have reached agreement on a variety of issues — including the number of medical marijuana operators in the state — but remain divided on a major sticking point: how many dispensaries each marijuana treatment center would be allowed to run.
Both the House and Senate would allow patients to use vaporizers and permit marijuana purveyors to sell edibles, include accommodations for snowbirds who have permission to use pot in other states, and require cannabis products to be independently tested.
The House had originally been more restrictive in the number of licenses for the businesses responsible for growing, processing and distributing the cannabis products but wants to allow an unlimited number of dispensaries.
“Our rationale is that this position strikes the right balance … but that there will not be a dispensary on every corner,” Bradley said, noting that his plan could result in 85 dispensaries by the end of the year.
House and Senate leaders need to reach a final agreement Friday. Though lawmakers are expected to meet Monday to approve the state budget and budget-related bills, Friday is the final day they plan to consider other legislation. The session was scheduled to end Friday but had to be extended into next week to resolve the budget.Sen. Jeff Clemens, who has repeatedly filed legislation that would legalize medical marijuana, spoke in favor of the Senate plan but took issue with a proposed ban on smoking cannabis. He said the ban could ultimately do more harm to patients.
John Morgan, the Orlando trial lawyer who largely bankrolled the constitutional amendment, has threatened on Twitter to sue over the smoking issue.
“This legislation must be headed to Governor Scott by the end of the day tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of sick and suffering Floridians are counting on it,” Ben Pollara, campaign manager for the political committee that backed the amendment, said in a statement.
“We have to act on it. We can’t shirk that duty,” said Sen. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican slated to take over as Senate president late next year. “Not being able to reach an agreement with the House just puts it in an ambiguous state that probably puts it in litigation.”
“Our bill passed over here, so we like our bill. Obviously, this (the bill) comes back now, the conversation continues. But there’s still a conversation. There’s been no settlement on it,” Oliva, who will take over as House speaker next year, said. “We are running out of time, that’s for sure. It’s Thursday. But I think we can get it done.”
credit:palmbeachpost.com