Some Florida Cannabis Startups Undeterred By Election Loss

Did you miss the webinar “Women Leaders in Cannabis: Shattering the Grass Ceiling?” Head to MJBiz YouTube to watch it now!


Though medical marijuana failed at the Florida ballot box earlier this month, plenty of cannabis companies in the state aren’t about to cash in their chips and go home.

Not only have MMJ proponents promised to continue the fight at the state Capitol, but many cannabis entrepreneurs in Florida believe that it’s just a matter of time until legalization passes. And that, in the eyes of many entrepreneurs, provides ample time to fine-tune a business model.

“The next day (after the election), we started getting calls that said, ‘Ok, I got an extra year to get ready,'” Pete Sessa, CEO of the Florida Cannabis Coalition, told The Florida Times-Union. “All the people that were serious are sticking with it. All the people that wanted to open a dispensary or grow in their backyard or at a car wash are gone.”

One business owner that spent a quarter of a million dollars acquiring a hyrodoponic grow operation in Colorado told the paper that she’s just going to look into business possibilities in other states where marijuana is legal, such as Oregon. And, she thinks all she has to do is be patient and Florida will eventually get into the cannabis trade.

“I think it’s just a matter of time before it will become legal in the state of Florida,” Quasar Aerospace Industries Inc. CEO Donnell Vigil told the paper.