Cannabis policy crafting is complicated. No two states have identical policy. Florida is in its sixth year of legislative bills. The legislature has moved from “just say no” and having no vocabulary to reasonably talk about the plant, to now having serious conversations about the plant and all its uses. Ghandi said something along the lines of “ first they ignore you, then then laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” We are in the fighting and winning phases.

There is an inordinate amount of fussing going on about Cannabis. We, at FLCAN, believe that we should have full access and use of this seed-bearing plant. It should be simple. But, reality is that it is not simple. There is BIG MONEY interest. There is BIG BUSINESS interest. There is BIG REVENUE interest.

What we want is:
-diversity of products and industry participants
-legal, safe, reliable access
-industry ownership opportunity
-access to civil court system and mediation professionals
-safe spaces for patients to use their medicine when not at home
-reasonable fees and taxes

These are not unreasonable nor are they unattainable. Getting what we want is not going to be easy. Florida is the home state of Drug Free America Foundation, the authors of “Your Brain on Drugs” and other anti-drug advertising campaigns. They and their ilk are fighting now and will continue to fight. It is imperative that articulate, talented, brave, hard-working people be involved and stay involved.

The issues this week are in HB 7117 Medical Use of Marijuana, rules for lab testing, rules for edibles, bills about hemp and fees and licensing and the right to all parts of the plant. The need for citizen oversight to minimize government shenanigans will never go away. You are interested or you would not have read this far. Now, do more than zero.