{"id":844,"date":"2015-10-01T18:53:44","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T18:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cannachronicle.com\/?p=844"},"modified":"2015-10-01T18:58:10","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T18:58:10","slug":"florida-house-democrat-has-high-hopes-for-legalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannachronicle.com\/2015\/10\/01\/florida-house-democrat-has-high-hopes-for-legalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida House Democrat Has High Hopes for Legalization"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Four states in the country now allow for the legal consumption of marijuana.\u00a0 Tallahassee House Democrat\u00a0Michelle\u00a0Rehwinkel Vasilinda wants Florida to be next.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s where we ought to be, frankly,\u201d she said of\u00a0her bill (HB 4021) that removes cannabis from being classified as a Schedule I drug. \u201cIt\u2019s a medicinal product, it\u2019s\u00a0a natural product.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think we\u2019ve had a lot of trouble trying to control it. The drug war has not worked. There\u2019s a lot of people in prison because of marijuana charges and selling and all of that sort of that thing,\u201d she said in a recent The Politics of Pot article.<\/a><\/p>\n

With the current GOP Legislature, the likelihood of Florida becoming the fifth state to legalize marijuana looks dim at best.<\/p>\n

Sarasota House Republican Greg Steube has\u00a0refiled a bill which would allow for the medical use of marijuana, but the Legislature neglected to act on it this year.<\/p>\n

With the apparent success of Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, as well as bipartisan support among Floridians, Rehwinkel Vasilinda has hope for legalization. However, those holding office may not be on board.<\/p>\n

To learn more, check out the full\u00a0bill Here<\/a><\/p>\n

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