See my posts here, here, and here regarding the Florida Legislature’s efforts to pass laws to implement Amendment 2 (medical marijuana passed by Florida’s voters in November 2016).

Unless a special session is called, the Florida Legislature closes out this session with no agreement on medical marijuana.  Issues related to the number of grower licenses and how those licenses would be linked to storefronts created an insurmountable disagreement.

Supposedly and ironically, the pro-cannabis powers were instrumental in the demise of medical marijuana in the legislature.  The issue of  how many storefronts the current license holders (7 at present) could operate has been a large part of the debate.  The Senate wanted to cap the number of retail locations for each license holder so that these 7 license holders could not consolidate too much market power.

With the failure by the Florida Legislature, that means Florida’s Department of Health, under Governor Rick Scott, will now be responsible for creating regulations for Amendment 2.  That does not bode well for the cannabis industry or patients, since Gov. Scott is anti-medical marijuana.

Also expected, fierce litigation from patients, physicians and businesses now that the legislature has failed.

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