 Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has unveiled a budget proposal for health care that would include more funding for medical marijuana oversight. DeSantis’ suggested spending plan for the fiscal year 2023-2024 would include an increase in funding for the Office of Medical Marijuana Use.
Florida has been struggling to keep up with the high demand for medical marijuana, and more funding would enable them to keep up with that demand. The proposal would increase the overall budget by just over $38 million, and also fund the hiring of 133 additional staff members. The Florida Legislature will evaluate the budget plan during their annual 60-day Legislative Session, which begins March 7th. Despite the Governor’s acceptance of the state’s medical marijuana program, he hasn’t changed his stance on recreational use. In the past, he has made it clear that he wants to prevent Florida residents from having access to recreational cananbis, even saying, "Not while I’m Governor. However, a majority of Floridians do want it. A poll last year found that 75% of Floridians are ‘supportive’ of legalizing cannabis for recreational use. To reach that goal of legalizing recreational use in Florida, a group called “Smart & Safe Florida” have just submitted enough signatures for a Court review of the measure, which is the first step in getting the measure on voters’ ballots. The campaign to legalize recreational use in Florida has been mainly supported by Trulieve, who is currently the largest medical marijuana operator in the state. They have contributed $20 million dollars thus far. Now that signatures have been submitted, Florida’s Supreme Court will review the wording of the proposal to make sure it meets requirements, before heading on to voters. Comments are closed.
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