Cannabis laws in the United States

Cannabis laws in the United States have been changing rapidly in recent years. 2019 was a momentous year for the industry: CBD derived from hemp had a heyday, where the state of Illinois made history, creating the new law that came into effect in 2020 which legalised recreational cannabis for people over 21 and for medicinal use.

There are at least 30 states out of the 50 that form the United States that have at least some law in place for the use of medicinal or recreational cannabis – with Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington being the first ones to initiate these laws. More recently, since 2019, it has been cannabis consumption has been approved in the state of Florida; a larger cannabis industry could be heading there, attracting recreational consumers with a larger selection of cannabis-based products.

Two proposed constitutional amendments aim to legalise recreational marijuana in Florida. And for some consumers, this would be seen as a positive development for the industry, with more varieties of marijuana becoming available for recreational use and increased access to types of products that are for now only available in other states.

CBD products have been popular, but they may be on shaky ground. Access to CBD oils, creams, foods and beverages has been increasing in small increments after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalised hemp but left much discretion to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its acronym in English), which regulates pharmaceutical drugs, most foods, additives and dietary supplements.

Petition for the use of cannabis in Florida

There are two petitions filed with the Florida Elections Division to allow a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot that would legalise marijuana.

The latest petition, filed on 23^rd August, comes from the activist group “Make It Legal”. It would allow anyone over the age of 21 to own, use, purchase, display and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and accessories for personal use.

But it leaves the control of distribution to state-licensed medical marijuana treatment centres, which includes their drug provider, MedMen.

MedMen is a California cannabis company that operates in California, Nevada, New York, Massachusetts, Arizona and Illinois, as well as a Florida medical marijuana store in West Palm Beach.

Nick Hansen, Make it Legal Florida president’s, said of the amendment proposed by the activist group: “We learned lessons from states that adopted marijuana uses early, such as California and Colorado, and developed a voting language that explains the safe regulation of a program of use for adults in Florida”.

He said the Make It Legal amendment would ban cannabis advertising to anyone under the age of 21, and advocates that the Florida Department of Health continue to apply the regulation.

The other proposed amendment, “Adult Cannabis Rights,” was presented in 2015 by Floridians for Freedom, a Melbourne-based political committee. That amendment – which would give anyone over the age of 21 the ability to own, use and even grow cannabis – didn’t make it to the 2018 ballot.

The editorial unit