Florida Medical Marijuana Measures Fizzle Out

An attempt to legalize medical marijuana in Florida this year via the state Legislature is “effectively dead,” a key lawmaker behind the effort said.

Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, sponsored a bill that at first had the support of the 2014 campaign to legalize medical marijuana in the state, but he told the Bradenton Herald on Wednesday that the measure and a companion bill have stalled.

Brandes pledged to keep working on the issue and return in the 2016 legislative session with another attempt, both at legalizing MMJ and also speeding up implementation of a CBD-only bill that was signed into law last year but has hit administrative roadblocks.

“The best plan for us is to work on it over the summer, talk to experts in the field, come back with a bill that is well-thought-out, well-researched and is something that is the right thing for Florida,” Brandes told the Herald.

The development could further open the door for another attempt at a ballot measure for 2016, a move that supporters of the failed 2014 initiative have been planning on for months anyway.