With Florida voters set to decide in November if medical marijuana will be allowed in the sunshine state, local leaders are figuring out how they will deal with the issue.
Pasco County native Garyn Angel owns one of the world’s top companies connected to marijuana.
His MagicalButter.com markets a machine that mixes marijuana with butter to use for cooking.
He’s also a full supporter of legalizing medical marijuana.
“It’s real medicine and for the county to keep it away from patients who are in need is unfair,” said Angel.
Pasco County already has a moratorium on growing, processing and distributing marijuana.
But now with latest poll showing medial marijuana will overwhelmingly pass in Florida, county leaders have to decide if they want to allow the pot business to take root here.
“This is something we’ve known has been coming for many years. I love our county commissioners, but I think they’ve failed their constituents on this topic,” said Angel.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said while voters will decide, citizens should also consider what they call “unintended consequences” in Colorado, California and Washington, including crime around dispensaries and marijuana DUI’s.
Studies show if approved, Florida could have a $1.1 billion industry virtually overnight.
Angel said Pasco is primed to cash in.
“I would love for Pasco County to be a hub for plant based medicines because this is a huge new industry that is set up to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry just like Uber did to the taxi industry,” he said.
A lot of unanswered questions make it difficult to pass local laws now, as do the discrepancies between federal and state laws.
No one against legalization spoke at Tuesday’s county commission work shop.
