Campaign representatives from the Regulate Florida campaign, an organization advocating for the legalization of recreational cannabis in the Sunshine State, have announced that the group is ending its push for a 2016 campaign, and will instead focus its efforts on the 2018 elections.
“The reality is showing us that we’re not going to get the million petitions or signatures verified by February 1,” said Jupiter-based attorney and Regulate Florida campaign manager Michael Minardi in a conference call with supporters last Wednesday. “We had an uphill battle, honestly with getting a million signatures realistically from the end of August until December. We did believe with the movement and the momentum that we had that we could get this done, but unfortunately, we don’t think we’re going to at this point.”
The campaign had hoped to make Florida the first state to fully legalize without first adopting a full-blown medical marijuana program.
Minardi claims to be optimistic about seeing the Regulate Florida initiative on the ballot in 2018. He said he already had “soft commitments” from several donors lined up, and will be securing those investments sometime next year.
Karen Goldstein of Regulate Florida — who also heads the NORML chapter in Florida — urged supporters on the call to go out and petition for the United for Care campaign, which will seek medical marijuana legislation in the 2016 election. “We still need to get medical marijuana on the ballot in 2016. We still need to support, as we have all along, the United for Care effort,” she said.
Photo Credit: Diana Robinson