Make it Legal Florida recreational pot initiative gets a website

ballotbox_pot
Supporters can now sign the petition online.

Make it Legal Florida, a group formed to push a 2020 ballot initiative to legalize cannabis, launched its website Wednesday.

The Make it Legal Florida amendment is one of three proposals aiming for the 2020 ballot, seeking to legalize marijuana for adult use.

The website gives users the opportunity to sign a petition to put the initiative on the ballot. Make it Legal Florida and other groups seeking recreational cannabis referenda must get more than 766,000 certified signatures from registered voters in Florida in order to make the ballot, a threshold organizers are confident they can make.

Make it Legal Florida released its first round of fundraising totals Tuesday and reported more than $1 million raised. Two medical cannabis companies operating in Florida, MedMen and Parallel (formerly Surterra Holdings), each contributed $545,000 to the effort.

The activist-backed group Regulate Florida, whose committee to raise funds is registered as Sensible Florida and Floridians for Freedom are struggling to raise funds. Sensible Florida has raised less than $180,000 while Floridians for Freedom has raised just $22,000.

Their proposals are different than Make it Legal Florida’s. The Make it Legal initiative would require cannabis sales for recreational use to be made at existing medical marijuana treatment centers and the proposal would highly regulate packaging and other marketing-type tools to avoid any implication of appealing to children.

The other efforts are not as strict. Sensible Florida’s initiative would regulate cannabis similarly to alcohol while Floridians For Freedom would simply deregulate the drug with the only stipulation being that adults don’t sell it to minors.

Make it Legal’s new website offers information to voters and would-be petition signers including about how the initiative would boost the economy, help curb the state’s opioid crisis and protect against abuse by children.

The website also includes a link to read the exact amendment language that would appear on the 2020 ballot if the group obtains the required amount of signatures. There’s also a page available to donate to the cause.

Janelle Irwin Taylor

Janelle Irwin Taylor has been a professional journalist covering local news and politics in Tampa Bay since 2003. Most recently, Janelle reported for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She formerly served as senior reporter for WMNF News. Janelle has a lust for politics and policy. When she’s not bringing you the day’s news, you might find Janelle enjoying nature with her husband, children and two dogs. You can reach Janelle at [email protected].


23 comments

  • Bill Bro

    September 11, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    For more than 40 years, Big Government has insisted that cigarette smokers should quit. Now, we’re told that a far more harmful drug than nicotine should be legalized? This would be laughable, if the risk of public harm were not so great.

        • Thedude

          September 12, 2019 at 1:36 pm

          So did you look at other things as well or just cannabis because anyone that’s mentally unstable tends to go towards drugs in general. Stop fingering your facts.

    • Kyle Shea

      September 12, 2019 at 10:31 am

      so basically makes sure the oligopoly keeps going and that the handful of dispensaries continue to be the ONLY entities that can grow and sell? ummmm ill pass on this one matter of fact not only will i pass but i will make sure anyone and everyone i know takes one of these ballots home and throws it in the trash. No wonder why surtera and medmen thru half a million dollars at this. how insane MEDICAL marijuana centers can sell to anyone over 21. why would a person whose already a patient sign this why would a mmj doctor sign this?

      • Daniel

        September 13, 2019 at 12:43 pm

        I believe it needs to be done. People with terminal illnes, life long disability’s have rights and most don’t have the money to pay for doctors and perceptions to get relief from there ailments or diseases.

      • ira

        September 18, 2019 at 10:39 am

        Right, They continue to favor a business model that restricts the playing field to big money participants. Just like these azzhat lobbiists and dispensaries.

      • Sandee

        September 24, 2019 at 6:09 pm

        So you’re saying you want to continue paying for a medical marijuana card every 7 months? I need medical marijuana, but I’m a senior citizen on a fixed income. I can’t afford that fee every 7 months.

    • Deana Soriano

      September 12, 2019 at 10:46 am

      please educate yourself, i bet you smoke cigs

    • John D

      September 13, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      You have no idea what you are talking about. Cannabis is not harmful when used responsibly. It is less harmful than Alcohol,tobacco, sugar, pop, aspirin, etc. Do a little research instead of your refer madness.

      • Reeny

        September 15, 2019 at 12:06 am

        Alcohol is so much more harmful than weed is. Believe it or not it has helped so many people with different medical problems. I dont see why it isnt legal everywhere already. What has alcohol done besides ruining alot of famlies mine included. I choose not to smoke it because its my choice,but if you want to go for it. In conclusion God did put it on earth for a reason just sayin

  • MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM

    September 11, 2019 at 2:47 pm

    COLBY IS CORRECT PROHIBITION HAS BEEN THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE POLICY SINCE SLAVERY.

    • jon

      September 12, 2019 at 12:11 pm

      That is just stupid Mat!

      • Adam Bierman

        September 12, 2019 at 2:28 pm

        Make it Legal florida is anti home growing…it is owned by big mj companies like Medmen…they want home growing illegal….do not support this petition!!!

      • a

        September 13, 2019 at 4:05 pm

        He is right. Give them a police record for smoking a joint. I say lock the speeders up and throw away the key. Speeding kills 1,000’s of people every year.

  • gary

    September 12, 2019 at 11:42 am

    NO THANKS! WE HAVE ENOUGH GOD DAMN PROBLEMS IN FLORIDA!

  • gary

    September 12, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Michael Savage a PHD speaks truth to power about cannabis! He reveals who is helping fund the legalization process the Satan of Evil, George Soros! As a rule I am against anything Soros supports! https://youtu.be/FsxVcZblbxI

  • a

    September 13, 2019 at 4:06 pm

    Give them a police record for smoking a joint. I say lock the speeders up and throw away the key. Speeding kills 1,000’s of people every year.

  • BRENDA

    September 16, 2019 at 9:09 am

    I am voting to legalize,It is done,Take back your Health.

  • Richard Matthew Jr

    September 22, 2019 at 2:01 am

    Young old sick poor, isn’t everybody just about sick and goddamn tired of the few remaining sticks up the ass that have no idea how therapeutic it can be. But all these God damn Democrats get out of office and people might start doing for people instead of lack of a better term a dictator. You going to lock people up for decades and decades for marijuana? You should be beat within an inch of your life for doing that to anybody and pay them millions of dollars for the rest of their life. Nobody cares anymore, Florida is Macon bank from the sales and if there is just a small handful left you clueless wonders, do us a favor and just shut up and stare the conversation because you don’t have a single clue like millions and millions of people gravitate towards that medicine. It’s not freaking coincidence. I hope big Pharma tanks. Let’s invent oxycodone and then invent Suboxone and then keep people addicted to something or another we’ll just change the name. The last I checked weed has been weed as long as I can remember

  • Richard P. Matthew Sr

    September 22, 2019 at 2:03 am

    That War on Drugs is sure kicking ass the past 30 years. LOL. What a wasted billions of dollars as well as insulting every American and I read that there was the biggest failure in school teaching drug history. The biggest waste attack sollers was dare in schools

Comments are closed.


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