Joe Gruters ready to let Florida medical marijuana users to grow at home

If people have a right to smoke medical marijuana, Sen. Joe Gruters says they should have the right to grow it in their own home.

The Sarasota Republican filed legislation (SB 546) that would allow individuals to seek permits with the Department of Agriculture to cultivate cannabis for their own personal use.

“People want to have the ability to grow it themselves,” Gruters said. “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.”

The legislation would limit home-grow permits to those at least 21 years old. As written, it would allow a permitted individuals to have up to two cannabis plants at his or her home, but the plants would have to be out of public view and locked away from children.

The bill would also allow for the Agriculture Department to conduct home inspections to make sure individuals were following state rules and regulations. Notably, Gruters also filed another bill (SB 552) that could expand the number of conditions legally treatable under the state’s medical marijuana law.

Gruters filed the bill months after a recreational amendment he had endorsed fell short of passage. While it failed to reach the 60% threshold for passage, it did receive broad support, from about 56% of voters.

During the campaign, Gov. Ron DeSantis frequently lamented the measure did not allow individuals to grow at home, and that the measure would likely restrict production to permitted companies in a system similar to Florida’s medical marijuana regulations.

Supporters said the Legislature had the ability to allow home-grown medical marijuana now. Gruters’ bill would make it happen.

At the moment, Florida heavily regulates the cannabis industry, allowing a limited number of companies, and only allowing companies that run both cultivation and distribution of their product, a process called vertical integration.

Notably, Gruters represents a portion of Manatee County, where longtime medical marijuana advocate Cathy Jordan was arrested in 2014 for growing marijuana in her own home. Jordan, who suffered from ALS, died last year.

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