TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Florida Supreme Court is considering whether a recreational marijuana ballot proposal can go before voters in 2022 and whether the state’s tight regulation of the medical marijuana industry violates the state constitution.
The court heard arguments Wednesday via teleconference – a first for the justices – with lawyers arguing and judges hearing the case all from separate locations as a precaution amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The proceedings were livestreamed on the court’s website and Facebook page and were available on The Florida Channel, a state-funded news organization that covers government.
The recreational marijuana ballot proposal would expand the state’s current medical marijuana law, which was approved by voters in 2016. The proposal would remove the medical restriction, allowing marijuana use by adults over the age of 21 for any reason.
Amit Agarwal, representing Attorney General Ashley Moody, told the justices that they should keep it off the ballot, arguing that it is deceptive because it doesn’t explain that marijuana is still illegal under federal law.