Florida Backers Try Again To Legalize Recreational Marijuana
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - After the Florida Supreme Court struck down an earlier version, a political committee has filed a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana use.
The proposal, by the committee Sensible Florida, would allow people 21 or older to grow and use marijuana, with a cap of 18 plants per household, according to a copy of the measure posted on the state Division of Elections website.
It also would prevent state lawmakers from trying to limit the percentage of euphoria-inducing THC in marijuana --- an issue that has repeatedly been debated by the Legislature.
The Supreme Court in June rejected an earlier Sensible Florida proposal, saying in a 5-2 decision that a ballot summary would be misleading to voters.
The new version, however, is significantly different from the earlier proposal, which was framed as regulating marijuana similar to alcohol.
Sensible Florida would need to submit 891,589 valid petition signatures and get Supreme Court approval before it could take the new version to voters.
It would need to submit the signatures by a Feb. 1 deadline to go on the 2022 ballot.
(©2021 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.)
