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Florida Lawmakers Send Smokable Medical Marijuana Bill To Gov. DeSantis

Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference in Winter Park in January announced a change in the state's approach to smokable medical marijuana. Photo: Christian Simmons, WMFE
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he will drop a challenge to smoking medical marijuana if the Legislature doesn't rewrite the law next March. (Christian Simmons)

State Lawmakers beat the deadline given to them by Governor Ron DeSantis Wednesday and sent him a bill that would allow patients to smoke medical marijuana. If they hadn’t, DeSantis said he would have allowed the courts to remove the ban on smoking. House Sponsor Fort Myers Republican Ray Rodrigues wanted to avoid that.

"This bill is important, because if we do not pass this bill then the guard rails that we have placed around smoking of medical marijuana will not exist," said Rodrigues. Now with the smoking ban lifted, lawmakers will turn to other medical marijuana issues. Bills filed in both chambers address decriminalization, affordability and dismantling the current vertical integration system.