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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As supporters work to put recreational marijuana back on Florida’s ballot, a Senate committee is working to keep it out of public spaces.
Florida’s Senate Committee on Regulated Industries unanimously advanced a bill Tuesday that looks to ban smoking marijuana in public places and designated smoking areas.
“We are protecting community health and quality of life,” said Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral.
SB 986 sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, goes hand-in-hand with a renewed effort to get recreational marijuana back on November’s ballots two years after it fell narrowly short of receiving the necessary 60% of votes to amend Florida’s constitution.
“I don’t want this state to be wreaking of marijuana,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the time. “We’re doing fine.”
Those in favor of the bill look to ban its use in public, citing concerns over health and smells if it were legalized recreationally.
“Every state in the United States that allows adult use of marijuana has either a complete public smoking ban or tight restrictions as to where marijuana smoking is allowed,” Rodriguez said.
But cannabis advocates speaking before the committee said the language is too broad, as “public place” includes but is not limited to streets, sidewalks, highways, public parks, public beaches, the common area of schools, hospitals, government buildings, apartment buildings, office buildings, lodging establishes, restaurants, transportation facilities and retail shops.
“The new definition of public places might very well include my front door,” Jodi James with Florida Cannabis Action Network said.
James said she also worries it could be too restrictive for the over 900,000 medical marijuana patients in the state.
The Senate bill and its companion bill in the House still need to pass other committees before being heard by the full chambers.
As for the effort to get recreational marijuana use on the ballot, that will come down to petitioning, as just over 880,000 voters must sign on by Feb. 1 for it to make it on the ballot. Right now, only 675,000 have signed.