With Session dead, United for Care says pot amendment lives

The Florida House has adjourned sine die, meaning it has abandoned the Legislative Session three-days early, leaving a host of unresolved issues on the table.

Among those issues is medical marijuana, been left dead for 2015.

“Today the people we elected to represent us in Tallahassee literally abdicated their responsibility to Floridians,” Ben Pollara, United for Care’s campaign manager, said in a prepared statement. “The House of Representatives decided to simply quit work, three days before the end of session, and with that, medical marijuana legislation is dead in Tallahassee.”

United for Care has been the main group backing medical marijuana legislation in Florida, an effort launched by prominent Florida lawyer John Morgan. The group was also at the helm of the state’s Amendment 2 initiative that narrowly failed in November despite earning more than 50 percent approval among voters. The amendment needed 60 percent to pass.

The group hoped medical marijuana would be taken up this session in response to Florida voter’s majority support. A measure introduced in the Senate by Jeff Brandes would have provided some of the same provisions as Amendment 2, but it stalled.

Another bill, SB 7066, would have provided a fix to last year’s Charlotte’s Web bill that allows the use of low-THC cannabis for certain patients such as children with epilepsy.

“Hundreds of thousands of patients across this state are sick, suffering and dying, but the House simply quit. Nearly 3.4 million Floridians voted ‘yes’ for medical marijuana, but the House simply quit,” Pollara said.

The group has said it’s already moving forward with a petition effort to put another amendment on the 2016 ballot. That move was seen as a hint the group lacked confidence in a measure making its way through the conservative Florida House.

“Despite courageous leadership from senators and representatives in both houses and both parties, Tallahassee has failed us again. Medical marijuana will be on the ballot in 2016 and the voters will pass what the Legislature failed to,” Pollara said.

United for Care Chairman John Morgan is expected to issue a separate statement later.