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Florida Bill Highlights Homegrown Cannabis Controversy

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Florida Bill Highlights Homegrown Cannabis Controversy


A Florida bill to allow the limited home cultivation of medical marijuana highlights a controversial aspect of the legalization era: in many jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis, it is still illegal for adults to grow their own weed at home.

Florida Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters filed the bill to legalize limited home cultivation of medical cannabis earlier this month. Under SB 546, registered medical marijuana patients aged 21 and older would be allowed to obtain a certificate from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services permitting them to grow up to two cannabis plants at home for personal use.

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“People want to have the ability to grow it themselves,” Gruters said, according to a report from Florida Politics. “If you have an ID card, why should we not allow that? It’s probably a good idea. We can still make it regulated and limit the amount.”

But cannabis policy reform advocates say that the bill is too restrictive because it limits home cultivation to two plants per household, regardless of the number of patients who live there.

“Two plants for multiple patients? The math is not mathing,” Chris Cano, executive director of the Suncoast Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told the Florida Phoenix.

“Elected officials need to address the chronic debilitating conditions of medical cannabis patients in a serious manner,” Cano added. “Clearly, the good senator is no expert on the needs of a truly sick patient or the amount of cannabis one needs to consume when suffering.

While acknowledging that “any legislative conversation about home growing in Florida is a welcome development,” long-time cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo says that “SB 546 as currently drafted needs more work.”

An accomplished home and commercial grower, DeAngelo was recently named global ambassador of Blimburn Seeds, a Barcelona-based company that supplies cannabis seeds to gardeners in the U.S. With the experience of talking to thousands of cannabis patients and growing an untold number of plants over the years, he says that Florida’s bill is simply not a viable option for most patients.

“The two-plant limit ignores both patient needs and agricultural realities. Inevitably, no matter the skill of the gardener, some plants fail– and the yield from a two-plant harvest is unlikely to be sufficient to last most patients the twelve weeks it will take to grow their next crop,” DeAngelo says in a virtual interview. “And what about elderly couples (or others) who both need cannabis? Their allotted amount of cannabis would be cut in half, just because they live in the same residence.”

Consumers Want To Grow Their Own Weed

Public opinion research shows strong support for legalizing home cultivation among cannabis consumers. A survey conducted by The Harris Poll last year on behalf of Barcelona-based Royal Queen Seeds found that 81% of cannabis consumers agree all Americans should have the right to grow marijuana at home. Just over a quarter (26%) of cannabis consumers said that they had grown cannabis at home, while a fifth (21%) of those who haven’t grown at home said they would like to try.

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The survey revealed different reasons that consumers choose to grow their own cannabis, including a third (34%) of home cultivators who said they feel safer consuming homegrown marijuana over commercially available products. Nearly half said growing their own weed gives them a sense of confidence (49%), joy (48%) or pride (46%), or that they do so simply because it is fun (47%). Nearly as many said home growing is more cost-effective than purchasing at dispensaries (43%), while 39% said the quality of the cannabis flower they grow at home is better than store-bought weed.

Opponents of legalizing home cannabis cultivation argue that allowing citizens to grow weed will help fuel the underground cannabis market that persists despite the legalization of regulated sales. Others believe allowing personal cultivation poses a threat to children who may be able to gain access to home gardens.

DeAngelo, however, says that cannabis cultivation should have never been outlawed in the first place.

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“The right to grow is a natural right. And when I talk about natural rights, I’m talking about the kinds of things that Thomas Jefferson talked about in the Declaration of Independence,” he says. “That we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. Natural rights pre-existed any government, and any good government, any decent government, is created to protect those natural rights. Mother nature gave us the right to grow cannabis and nobody, no government, no person, no corporation, has the right to take that away from us.”

But in nearly half of the states with legal marijuana, medical cannabis patients do not have the option of growing their medicine at home.

“Out of 38 states that have legalized cannabis for medical or adult-use purposes, 17 of them entirely prohibit home growing,” DeAngelo says. “And this includes places like Illinois and New Jersey and Florida, where massive amounts of cannabis are being grown by large businesses, in Florida in particular. And yet, home growers are subject to ridiculous penalties.”

“Whatever you do in the privacy of your own home is your own business,” he continues. “And if there’s evidence that people are putting cannabis into the stream of commerce without appropriate licensure, then that is a civil matter, and they should be civilly sanctioned for doing business without an appropriate license. But nobody should ever be prosecuted criminally for growing cannabis in their own home.”



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Florida

2 Florida men arrested after scamming $20K from man in California

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2 Florida men arrested after scamming K from man in California


Two Florida men were arrested in Port St. Lucie after being accused of conducting a bank scam on a man in California, police said.

Trey Romans, 21, is facing several charges, including one count of grand theft and one count of scheme to defraud, while Jean Dorcena, 25, was charged with one count of grand theft, one count of Scheme to defraud, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

According to Port St. Lucie Police, on Oct. 30, the man in California reported that he was scammed out of $20,000 after he received a call from someone who claimed they were a Chase Bank representative.

The victim told authorities that the caller said his account was compromised and told him to physically transfer his funds to another Chase Bank in Port St. Lucie.

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After listening to the caller, the victim withdrew his money from the bank, put it in a yellow envelope and then mailed it through FedEx.

Police said that the victim became suspicious after sending the money, searched the address and found out it was a residential address and not a bank.

After the victim couldn’t reach anyone at FedEx because they were closed, he called local law enforcement, who told him to call PSLPD.

In Florida, officers were able to find the local FedEx distribution and take the package before it was delivered, and detectives set up a plan to lure Romans and Dorcena to the delivery location.

With the help of FedEx employees, the package was delivered to the Port St. Lucie address, and detectives saw the two suspects arrive in a Hyundai SUV.

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Romans was seen getting out of the car, while Dorcena, who was the driver, stayed behind.

Body camera footage captured the two being arrested by police.

Police said they also spoke to the resident of the drop-off address, who told them he knew the suspects, and that Dorcena asked him if he could have a package delivered to his home, but not to open it.

The resident was not suspected of knowing what was being delivered to his home.

During a search of their vehicle, officers found around 17 grams of marijuana.

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The two remain at the St. Lucie County Jail with no bond.

A check with the victim’s money will be sent to him.



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Central Florida sees surge in food aid requests as WIC delays hit vulnerable households

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Central Florida sees surge in food aid requests as WIC delays hit vulnerable households


ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 420,000 Floridians use WIC, according to a 2024 USDA report — the fourth highest number in the country.

However, those benefits are delayed for many in Central Florida due to the government shutdown, leaving families without a way to pay for baby formula and nutritional food for their children.

Destiny Perez-Prado is trying to figure out how she’s going to feed her seven children this month since her WIC and SNAP benefits are delayed.

[EXCLUSIVE:Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE)| PINIT!Share your photos]

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“It’s still just heartbreaking, you know, to think that for Thanksgiving, we might not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving — you know, have the food that we need, food that would be typically accessible to us,” Perez-Prado said.

Her benefits pay for around $800 in groceries each month, and WIC specifically covers her more expensive items like baby formula, Pediasure, and other nutritional foods.

“It’s so expensive. Just a can of formula — the cheapest is $28, I believe. And it’s crazy. Some kids need specialized formulas,” she said.

Between being a single mother, college student, and self-employed, Perez-Prado says getting a second job to afford groceries is nearly impossible.

“I have two children with autism — a little girl and a little boy — and then my third with ADHD. So for that, you know, it’s hard for me to keep a consistent job, even with my degree,” she explained.

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One Heart for Women and Children is stepping in to help Perez-Prado. Founder Stephanie Bowman says about 30,000 people in Orange County use WIC — and many of them now need extra help.

“We’ve had 500 calls just this week from individuals we’ve never seen or heard from before,” Bowman said.

One Heart typically helps around 20,000 people per month, but that demand is rising due to the shutdown.

“What we’ve had to do is give families less food — and we never want to do that. But we want to make sure that every individual who comes to us can get food,” Bowman added.

Perez-Prado says she’s working to become financially stable one day, but right now her priority is feeding her kids.

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“You know, they still deserve to eat. They’re babies — they didn’t ask to be here. And even if we as parents didn’t go about it the way certain people think we should to avoid problems like this, it’s still a problem. We’re still here, and we still need help,” she said.

If you’d like to donate to help out, click here.

Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.



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‘It’s unfair:’ SNAP cuts leave Central Florida seniors struggling for food

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‘It’s unfair:’ SNAP cuts leave Central Florida seniors struggling for food


OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – SNAP benefits for thousands of families here in Central Florida are cut off, leaving many scrambling to afford the food they need, including local seniors. Many have medical needs that require special diets, and they say food banks just can’t always meet them.

“Being a citizen and being on the income that I’m on—it is hard. To tell you the truth, it’s unfair,” said senior Shirley Williford, who is among those impacted by the delay.

On Saturday, Williford and another local senior, Kim Augenstein, received notifications that their SNAP benefits for November would be pushed back. For Williford, who lives on a fixed income and doesn’t have transportation, it’s a nightmare.

“I only have high blood pressure. I kind of went on a diet myself. The food that I need for my diet—I’m not going to be able to get it,” Williford said.

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Augenstein, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, said losing those benefits could put her health at risk. “When you’re almost a diabetic or you are a diabetic, you have to have that food for your insulin. If you go without food, that’s a big problem,” she said.

[VIDEO: Central Florida food programs face challenges as federal SNAP support stops]

Now, the seniors are relying on local organizations in Osceola County, such as Clarita’s House Outreach Ministries and the Black Empowerment and Community Council, which are already seeing a rising demand.

“Families are already so tight with money and resources. For us to be at this critical time, it’s important that we rally together,” said Tiffany Jeffers with the Black Empowerment and Community Council.

But those groups say the ongoing government shutdown is also limiting the resources they can offer. “The grant writers keep saying we can’t do this one or that one. So many programs are being cut. Some of the grants we would normally get—recurring grants—we’re no longer getting, and that’s definitely because of government funding,” said Doreen Barker, founder of Clarita’s House Outreach Ministries.

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In the meantime, seniors are helping each other by sharing rides and picking up groceries—but they’re still hoping the shutdown ends soon.

“I don’t think it needs to be cut down. It doesn’t need to be cut off—because I depend on those food stamps,” Williford said.

The Black Empowerment and Community Council is partnering with Solid Rock Community Church in Kissimmee and AARP next week to distribute food and resources to those impacted by the SNAP delays.

Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

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