TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Petitions are already circulating in Florida to put medical marijuana on the 2016 ballot, but at a national conference in Seattle, the two states that have legalized recreational marijuana say Florida and other states should just bite the legalization bullet.
It was standing room only in a Seattle convention center when the topic turned to the pot holes and possibilities of legalizing marijuana.
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One of the first questions of lawmakers from across the country was how many of their states will be dealing with medical or recreational marijuana this year? Nearly every hand went up.
Florida is one of them. St. Petersburg Sen. Jeff Brandes will introduce full blown medical marijuana legislation within the month.
"I think now is the time to have the conversation let's do it in statute, and I believe we have the votes if we can get it to the floor," Brandes said.
The legislation hopes to short circuit the need for a ballot referendum in 2016, but the advice from a panel made up of Colorado and Washington state lawmakers was to not waste time and just embrace the inevitable.
"Medical is just a step on the way to full recreational marijuana," Rep. Dan Pabon said.
The same advice comes from the Seattle City Attorney Peter Holmes, who was one of the leaders of the recreational marijuana campaign.
"I do believe that trying to deal with it as comprehensibly up front, the better," Holmes said. "The sooner you get that, the more you can stop relying on traditional law enforcement to effectuate your policies, and instead have economic forces working with you is so much sounder and better operation."
But for Florida lawmakers in Seattle, the message is falling mostly on deaf ears.
"I'm not a big supporter of recreational use for marijuana," Sen. Audrey Gibson said. "I obviously support medicinal use purposes and expanding what that looks like."
The political will isn't sufficient enough in Florida for outright legalization, yet. But Florida is much more conservative than either Colorado or Washington state, so the political will for legalization just isn't there, yet.
Signatures are already being collected to put medical marijuana in the Constitution, and another vote is expected in 2016 unless lawmakers act first.