With few states already legalizing marijuana for medicinal (and in some cases personal) use, Florida residents will be voting in November whether to authorize medical marijuana. With Florida’s vast farmland totaling 47,500 farms, many have wondered what will happen to our farmland if the law is enacted.
Adam Putnam, commissioner of Florida Department of Agriculture, went on record this week saying, “This is not a boon for Florida agriculture. There won’t be fields of marijuana growing in Florida.”
Putnam is convinced that if the law does go through that medical marijuana will be grown indoors in controlled environments. He opposes the constitutional amendment on medical marijuana scheduled for the November 4 ballot, but he is realistic and believes it will pass. If it does pass, he wants to avoid the local city “pot shops” on every corner.
Also, during the recent 2014 Florida Legislative Session, lawmakers voted 111-7 for SB 1030, which is legislation that will allow physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to registered patients. I’d like to point out, however, that the treatment is limited to chronic seizures, muscle spasms, and cancer.
Earlier this year there was a story that went viral about a girl scout selling cookies next to one of Colorado’s “pot shops.” Since the story aired, the girl scouts of Colorado have been barred from continuing the practice.
“Girl Scouts of Colorado doesn’t allow girls to sell cookies outside of any adult-oriented business, whether that is a bar, strip club, casino, liquor store, or marijuana dispensary. We recognize these are legitimate businesses, but we don’t feel they are an appropriate place for girls to be selling cookies in Colorado,” the organization said.
With that entertaining issue aside, I’m curious to know your thoughts on legalizing marijuana in Florida. What do you think of the recent developments on this topic?
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