Cannabis In Florida: Legalization Moving To Ballot Box? Black Farmers Finally Get Licenses, A Cannabis Event

Cannabis groups and legislators pushing for policy reform have tried and failed to legalize marijuana for recreational adult use in Florida, but the most recently filed, industry-backed campaign is pawing its way toward the 2024 ballot box.

A measure filed this past summer by Smart & Safe Florida political committee proposing a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana has garnered over 420,000 valid signatures to date, representing a striking increase from the 294,037 signatures submitted only a month ago, on February 2, according to the state Division of Elections website.

The measure, which seeks to allow already-existing medical marijuana (MMJ) companies to begin selling recreational cannabis needed at least 222,898 signatures to get revived by a state Supreme Court,  a milestone it reached in January, Green Market Report writes.

The State Supreme Court is still in the process of reviewing the wording of the proposition to ensure that it includes just this one issue and does not mislead voters. If the political committee gets the Court's approval, the proposal will then need to gather 891,589 valid signatures to be introduced on the 2024 ballot.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. TRUL TCNNF, the state’s largest MMJ operator, contributed over $20 million to the Smart & Safe Florida campaign, of which more than $19 million was spent on expenses related to petition collection and verification.

Black Farmers To Get MMJ Licenses They’ve Been Denied Under New Bill

Meanwhile, the number of those holding a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MMTC) is set to double to 44 as the Florida Department of Health will accept 22 additional applications.

To ensure that a number of those licenses go to Black farmers who applied, St. Petersburg Sen. Darryl Rouson (D) filed SB 1356, reported Florida Phoenix.

Under the proposal, the Health Dept will be obliged to award MMJ licenses to Pigford applicants, which refers to a class action discrimination suit between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Black farmers.

With the measure, Rouson addresses nearly a dozen lawsuits from MMTC applicants who weren’t awarded during the issuance of the first batch of licenses following the passage of Florida’s “Charlotte’s Web” compassionate use medical marijuana legislation in 2014.

“You know in the first round of licensing, the state got sued, and the way they settled it was to give the seven litigants a license,” Rouson said. “Why can’t we do that with the eight or nine ‘Pigford’ applicants? Just settle it by giving them licenses out of the 22 that are about to be issued, rather than dragging this thing out for years.”

The 2017 law required Florida health officials to hand out licenses to all applicants that had legal challenges pending as of January 2017.

Speaking Of Florida, The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Is Back!

The most successful cannabis business event in the world, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, returns to Miami for its 16th edition. This is where DEALS GET DONE, where money is raised, M&A starts, and companies meet investors and key partners. Join us at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida on April 11-12. Don’t miss out. Secure your tickets now before prices go up.

Photo: Courtesy of Ernie114, PeterPike by Pixabay