Florida Lawmaker Open to Legalizing Homegrown Cannabis After ‘Weed Cartel’ Ballot Measure Fails

One Florida lawmaker is willing to “test the waters” of a homegrown marijuana bill, while the Florida Sheriff’s Association celebrates Floridians rejecting Amendment 3, which they described as a “hazardous” amendment.

“Personally, as one of the 85 elected Republicans in the Florida House, I’d be very open to the idea of doing something like homegrown [marijuana] or personal consumption at home,” Rep. Alex Andrade told the Miami Herald.

“I’d love to test the waters and see the reception for a solely homegrown marijuana bill,” Andrade continued.

Even that would be markedly different from what was proposed in Amendment 3.

The amendment, which needed to reach 60 percent approval to pass in the Sunshine State, was actually written by the “CEO of a mega marijuana company,” that spent $141 million “in order to get this passed,” Gov. Ron DeSantis explained prior to Election Day.

Further, DeSantis said it was not what it seemed, as an individual would not be able to grow their own marijuana. It also allowed a person to smoke up to three ounces of marijuana, which the governor said “is about 100 joints — much more than California and Colorado allows.”

“You have to buy it from them, and the weed cartel that’s basically in existence,” he continued, also warning Floridians that the amendment did not have any limitations on smoking marijuana in public. “Nothing in this amendment prohibits that or provides any authority to regulate it. In fact, to the contrary, when you read how it’s written, it says there can be no penalties for smoking, civil, criminal, or sanctions,” DeSantis said.

“And so how would you sanction somebody for using it in public? That would run afoul of the constitution,” he continued before putting it this way: “So this will in effect, authorize a rampant public consumption of marijuana in ways that I think would make Denver and San Francisco blush.”

“Following the strong leadership of @GovRonDeSantis and sheriffs across Florida, we’re pleased that citizens took the time to understand the dangers of Amendment 3 and chose to safeguard what makes Florida the best place to live, work, and play,” Sheriff Bill Prummell, Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) President and Charlotte County Sheriff, said in a statement after Floridians rejected the amendment.

“Sheriffs trusted the judgment of Floridians to reject this hazardous amendment to our Constitution,” he continued. “Today, we can feel assured that the safety of our communities and the future of our children are more secure, as the potential harms of recreational marijuana will not become part of our state constitution.”

DeSantis also celebrated the rejection of the amendment after warning voters the day prior, “If this passes, marijuana is going to be involved with you” whether you like it or not.

According to the New York Times and AP, 55.9 percent of Floridians voted yes and 44.1 voted no, bringing it below the 60 percent  threshold needed for adoption.