Ron DeSantis vetoes bill to restrict Florida marijuana market

Tallahassee

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill Friday that would have reshaped the Florida market, but Florida residents will still be able to buy and use delta-8 and other marijuana products.

According to the Act, SB 1698The bill made its way through Florida’s legislative process but was met with opposition from consumers who said they needed the products for their physical and mental health, and from businesses who said it would put thousands of Floridians out of work.

DeSantis, based on his Rejection LetterDeSantis seemed to agree. In his letter, he said the bill would “impose a heavy regulatory burden on small businesses” and would “cause great damage and harm to many of Florida’s small retail and manufacturing businesses.”

A study commissioned by a cannabis trade group found that Florida’s marijuana market could exceed $10 billion in sales and employ more than 100,000 people in 2022.

DeSantis said he would encourage the Legislature to revisit the topic in its next session to develop a regulatory framework for Florida’s marijuana market.

“Sensible, non-arbitrary regulation will provide much-needed stability for businesses and consumers — protecting public health and safety, allowing legitimate industries to thrive, and keeping bad actors out of the marketplace,” DeSantis said.

He listed three areas he wants the Legislature to focus on: quality control, product packaging requirements and how and where marijuana products are sold.

As of early this week, the governor’s office had received more than 13,000 calls, emails and letters from individuals and groups calling for the bill to be vetoed. Fewer than 100 people contacted the governor’s office to express support for the bill.

Among those opposed to the bill is a group of consumers who worry that if it passes, it could affect CBD, which does not have psychoactive effects.

The bill seeks to ban the sale of delta-8 cannabis products that produce a “high” feeling, and would also ban the sale of cannabis products containing other cannabinoids, including delta-10, THC-V and THC-P. It would also limit the strength of cannabis products that are still allowed to be sold.

Since the cannabis plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids, small amounts of these cannabinoids may be present in non-psychoactive products, which is why some CBD users worry that a blanket ban would cause products to be pulled from shelves.

Paige Figi, executive director of the Access to Rights Alliance, opposes the bill because of the impact it could have on CBD. The CBD product Charlotte’s Web is named after Figi’s daughter, who uses CBD products to treat Charlotte’s epilepsy.

Figi said that for families like hers, access to CBD is a matter of life and death.

Senators passed the bill unanimously, but the House was more divided, with 14 Republicans voting against it — a notable split in a legislature that typically sees Republicans largely in agreement on final votes.

Several Democrats who opposed the bill said that if passed, it would only benefit large medical marijuana dispensaries, which could steal business from shuttered pot shops.

In November, Florida voters will be able to decide whether they want recreational marijuana to be legal in the state. If the amendment passes, medical marijuana license holders will be able to sell marijuana to recreational buyers. DeSantis has expressed opposition to the marijuana amendment.