Tuesday, February 12, 2019 was an amazing day at the Capitol! We had two smoking bills being heard in the legislature and oral arguments in the Joe Redner home-grow case at the 1st Court of Appeals located in Tallahassee. Our call to action was heard, hundreds took action and we made a difference!

CS/SB182, the Senate’s bill entitled “Smoking Marijuana for Medical Use” had its second hearing. If you were following the action last week on this bill, it was chaos. Our efforts caused the bill to be tied 5 to 5 – which meant the bill failed. The Sponsor encouraged the committee to reconsider their vote and on a final vote the horrible committee bill passed.

Thanks to the hundreds of people who took action to call and send emails CS/SB 182 looked very different when it arrived on the agenda Tuesday.

The substitute bill that finally passed, (yes, they can do that) removed the most offensive language, but does require patients under the age of 18 to get recommendations from two doctors before being allowed to use smoked cannabis as a delivery option. While the bill is more palatable bill and far from where we want to be, it passed unanimously with our support. It is on the agenda for it’s final committee hearing in Rules on February 20th. Based on this timeline, the Senate may be debating this bill during Cannabis 101 at the Capitol on March 6.

PCB HHS 19-01 is the Proposed Committee Bill (PCB) for Smoking Medical Marijuana from Health & Human Services (HHS). This bill in its original version would have effectively stopped most patients, who are not terminally ill, from accessing smoked cannabis. The amended language passed with 14 Yeas, 2 Neas. If you live in Rep Ponder or Rep Yarborough’s district please reach out nicely and ask why they voted no. This piece of legislation is expected to be on the Appropriation agenda next Thursday, if they want to get it moved through the process by the Governor’s deadline of March 15. This bill would only allow filtered pre-rolled cannabis to be sold by MMTC’s. During testimony, we questioned whether filters would reduce the efficiency of the plant medicine, how this would affect the cost to patients and packaging.

Additionally on Tuesday the 12th, FLCAN was in the Courtroom to support Joe Redner’s team as they defended his right to juice cannabis he grows for himself. The trial court believes the plain language of MMJ Amendment 2, passed in 2016, gives Joe that right. The State represented by the Department of Health disagrees. The 3-judge panel heard arguments from both sides. The judges posed many questions to both attorneys. Unfortunately, they have no time limit on making a decision. The Redner team is prepared to take the case to the Florida Supreme Court should they lose.

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