The Governor remains opposed to broader marijuana law reforms, stating that adult-use legalization will not become law in Florida “while I’m governor.” (Link)

DeSantis seems to support the right of states to set their own cannabis policies, even if he personally draws the line at medical marijuana and finds the plant’s smell “putrid.” (Link)

DeSantis has not yet acted on calls from lawmakers and officials to facilitate cannabis clemency after President Joe Biden granted a mass marijuana pardon last year to people who’ve committed federal possession offenses. He also faced criticism after canceling a Clemency Board meeting last year at which former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) wanted members to consider approving mass marijuana pardons. (Link)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said he would not federally decriminalize marijuana if elected to the White House—arguing that cannabis use hurts the workforce, inhibits productivity and could even lead to death if contaminated. (Link)

Governor Desantis signed legislation, Senate Bill 182, repealing a legislative ban on the possession and use of herbal cannabis formulations by qualified patients. He had strongly encouraged lawmakers to repeal the herbal cannabis ban, which had been supported by his predecessor, Gov. Rick Scott. The Desantis’ administration also moved forward with legal and regulatory changes to facilitate the establishment of additional licensed dispensaries in the state. (Link)

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed off on a settlement agreement allowing the issuance of new medical marijuana license to eight different nurseries. (Link)

DeSantis signed legislation in 2022 that exempts certain medical cannabis-related records from public records disclosure requirements. That includes records related to a patient or caregiver’s personal identifying information and a doctor’s federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number and other identifying information. (Link)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that expressly prohibits sober living facilities from allowing residents to possess or use medical marijuana, even if the patient is certified by a doctor to legally use cannabis therapeutically in accordance with state law. All other doctor-prescribed pharmaceutical medications may be permitted, however. (Link)

Said the issue is “controversial because obviously there’s some people that abuse it and are using it recreationally... I think that we have we have too many people using using drugs in this country right now. I think it hurts our workforce readiness. I think it hurts people’s ability to prosper in life,” he said, adding that people he knew in high school who used marijuana “suffered.” 6/23/2023

The Governor says that he wants to make sure the amendment is carried out “in a way for the folks that voted for it that they can feel that that’s what they voted for.” (1/15/19) (Link)

During the election campaign, Gov. DeSantis pledged to fully implement the state's voter-initiated medical marijuana access program. The program had been largely opposed by the previous administration. By contrast, he has expressed opposition to adult use marijuana law reform. (8/31/18) (Link)

“I’ve never thought that somebody who was caught using it… we’re not going to use the prison system for that,” DeSantis explained after the remarks. “But that’s different than kind of wanting it to be prevalent like you see in some of these other areas.” 01/26/22 

“I am going to implement the will of the voters,” DeSantis told WPLG 10News. “They passed medical marijuana overwhelmingly, and my view is is we have a process in Florida when that happens, then we shouldn’t play games with it. We should just simply implement it.”

“Now I’m not somebody that thinks having recreational marijuana for young people is good. I think that will make it more difficult for people to succeed. And I think parents right now—it’s very difficult to raise children in the modern technological environment, you’ve got so many different distractions, to throw marijuana into it and make it more prevalent, I think would make it harder for parents. But on the medical side, we’ve got to respect the will of the voters.” 8/29/18

"I mean look, when that is introduced with teenagers and young people I think it has a really detrimental effect to their well-being and their maturity.” 06/24/19 

“Florida voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana in 2016, and I believe the subsequent legislation has been inadequate,” DeSantis said. “Voters intended for medical marijuana to be dispensed in a way that would best benefit the patient, smoking included." 01/18/19 

Email: GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com

Web: https://www.flgov.com/page/2/

Phone: 850-717-9337