There are three initiatives aimed at putting a recreational ballot measure on the 2020 ballot in Florida, but one of those initiatives has been singled out by the Attorney General as being too long and should therefore be rejected by the Supreme Court of Florida.

The ballot initiative that AG Ashley Moody has turned her guns on is sponsored by a group called Sensible Florida. That initiative seeks to legalize recreational cannabis for adults who are at least 21 years old.

Michael Minardi, the chairperson of Sensible Florida, says that the bulk of this constitutional amendment seeks to establish a framework through which the recreational marijuana industry would be regulated.

According to Minardi, the initiative is for Floridians, Florida businesses and for giving power over the cannabis plant back to the people of Florida.

AG Moody doesn’t seem to see things in the same way, and she argues that the 75-word summary of the initiative cannot allow Florida voters to understand fully what the campaigners are proposing.

To drive her point home, Moody took a picture of the amendment as it was dangling from the ceiling to the floor, and she put a caption to the effect that the amendment was longer than the first article of the state constitution. This picture was posted on Twitter by the AG.

To put this amendment in context, the other two initiatives are shorter than the one by Sensible Florida. In fact, one amendment is just a paragraph long while the second one covers two pages. This makes the Sensible Florida amendment tower above these two since it is ten pages long.

That notwithstanding, Minardi says that the strength of their amendment lies in its length. He says that the document clearly spells out all the details of what voters will be called upon to approve, and this removes the possibility that the state lawmakers will implement anything else other than what the voters will have supported.

This argument by Minardi seems to hold water, as the drama surrounding Brexit in the UK shows the folly of approving a general plan without the necessary accompanying details. Successive prime ministers have struggled to build consensus on how the UK should leave the EU, and the millions across the nation are beginning to question whether what the politicians are feuding over is really what they voted for.

Sensible Florida has vowed to take the AG on once the Supreme Court starts considering the language of their proposed amendment. It would be interesting to hear what cannabis companies like Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) and SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING) have to say about this unexpected point of contention between the attorney general and Sensible Florida’s proposed amendment.

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The winds of change regarding marijuana laws around the country have evoked the lyrics of Bob Dylan when he wrote “The Times They Are a-Changin’” nearly 60 years ago. In fact, a court of law in Maryland quoted those very lyrics during its landmark ruling in a marijuana case in which the police was told they didn’t have “probable cause” to search the appellant just because the officers could smell pot.

This landmark ruling traces its roots to the arrest of Michael Pacheco back in 2016. The 26-year old had been found in his parked car in Montgomery County. The arresting officers testified that they were prompted to act when they sensed the smell of freshly combusted marijuana and they saw a cannabis joint on the car’s console.

These officers then ordered Pacheco out of his car and proceeded to search it. A subsequent body search unearthed some cocaine concealed in one of his pockets.

Pacheco’s legal team argued that the cocaine was found during an illegal search since there was no probable cause to justify the body search. This matter went to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals where Pacheco lost the case and was convicted.

His legal team filed an appeal with the Maryland Court of Appeals and this higher court quoted Bob Dilan as they quashed his conviction. The judges were unanimous (7-0) in their decision to reverse the conviction.

In their ruling, the judges observed that the laws governing marijuana had changed in different jurisdictions. For example, the possession and use of less than 10grams of marijuana has been legal for five years in Maryland. Consequently, the officers needed probable cause to suspect that Pacheco had more than 10grams before they could legally search him or his vehicle. This wasn’t available in this case, the judges observed.

The judges also pointed out that the circumstances that can warrant the search of a car may not be sufficient for the police to conduct a body search. This is because someone’s body enjoys a higher expectation of privacy when compared to when that person is in a vehicle.

Another judge on the panel that overturned Pacheco’s conviction noted that their ruling was limited in nature. He explained that driving under the influence of marijuana is a big concern and this ruling shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that the police cannot arrest an individual that they find sitting in the driver’s seat of a car in which there is no other occupant and that individual is smoking marijuana. In such a case, the police may pick interest in that individual under the presumption that he or she may drive under the influence.

Analysts think that this ruling will be welcomed by the marijuana industry fraternity, including participants like Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) and SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING). Similar rulings are likely to be made in jurisdictions where marijuana is legal.

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Luxembourg’s health minister has confirmed that the country plans to legalize recreational marijuana and he has urged other European Union (EU) member states to relax their own marijuana laws. If the country ends prohibition, it will be the first European country to take this bold step in defiance of UN conventions on the matter.

Etienne Schneider, Luxembourg’s health minister, said that the current drug policy which has been in existence in the country for the past 50 years hasn’t had the desired effect because prohibition only served to make marijuana more appealing to the youth. He added that he hoped that the citizens of Luxembourg would all become more open-minded towards drugs.

According to the legalization plan, residents who are at least 18-years old would be able to buy, possess and use marijuana in Luxembourg two years from now. The state plans to create an agency through which the production and distribution of marijuana will be regulated.

The draft law through which this legalization will be implemented is expected to be unveiled later this year. The health minister revealed that the draft law is likely to include provisions banning visitors from buying marijuana during their stay in Luxembourg. Schneider says this provision is necessary in order to prevent the country from becoming a destination for “drug tourists.”

The legalization law is also likely to ban the home cultivation of marijuana while also decriminalizing the possession of less than 28grams of the drug by minors between 12 and 17 years of age. However, minors who contravene this rather liberal provision will face stiff penalties.

Luxembourg’s health minister also said that he was keen to convince other countries in the EU to follow Luxembourg’s lead and reform their own marijuana laws.

According to additional information provided by Schneider, there is likely to be limited resistance to the plan to legalize marijuana in Luxembourg because a coalition of the Liberals, the Greens and the Social Democrats agreed to this plan. Last year, Felix Braz (the justice minister) and Schneider flew to Canada to see how one of the largest Canadian pot companies was producing marijuana for the recreational market.

Medical marijuana is already legal in Luxembourg and the possession of limited amounts of marijuana was decriminalized. Full legalization therefore seems to be the next logical step for this EU country.

It is unclear how other EU countries will respond to the legalization of cannabis in Luxembourg. The Netherlands is currently the only country in the EU which tolerates recreational marijuana since the drug is neither illegal nor legal. Coffee shops openly sell marijuana even if the cultivation and processing of the substance remains illegal in the country.

Pundits believe that the global cannabis industry, including actors like Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) and SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING), could be very pleased by the news coming from Luxembourg since this may trigger a domino effect in other EU countries.

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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed into law a bill that expanded marijuana decriminalization and also paved the way for people with certain marijuana convictions to have their criminal records wiped clean.

The new law, which will take effect 30 days from the date of signing, will make the possession of less than two ounces of cannabis a non-criminal offense punishable by a fine that varies between $50 and $200 depending on how much marijuana one is convicted for possessing.

In a press release, Cuomo stated that the signing of this law is a critical step towards mending the discriminatory and broken criminal justice system in which people of color were disproportionately targeted during the failed War on Drugs. He added that the expungement provisions and the change in the draconian penalties for marijuana possession offers the affected communities a chance for a fresh start.

Marijuana law reform advocates hailed this new law although it fell short of the full legalization that they had hoped for during the just-ended legislative session. Cuomo had delivered his budget proposal without marijuana legalization, but there was hope that any differences over the implementation of the program would be ironed out in the final months of the session.

However, the disagreements over how the policy would be implemented dragged on until the governor announced that a deal couldn’t be agreed upon in time for a vote during the closing days of the session.

The key sticking points were whether local authorities would have the final say on whether marijuana businesses operated within their jurisdictions and the second major cause of disagreement regarded the way in which taxes from marijuana would be spent by the state.

The decriminalization and expungement bill was a compromise law upon which there was little disagreement. Carl Heastie (D), the Assembly Speaker, hailed the law saying that it removed the barriers that were standing in the way of many New Yorkers who wished to find housing, a job and get an education.

Even anti-marijuana legalization groups, such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), welcomed the law saying that it was a reasonable piece of legislation that was long overdue. SAM admitted that they had worked hard to defeat the broader legalization bill, and would continue to campaign for marijuana to remain prohibited in the state.

Sen. Diane Savino (D), who has been a longtime campaigner for marijuana law reform, commented that the decriminalization and expungement law was slight progress since the sale of marijuana was still left in the hands of criminals instead of letting licensed businesses participate in a regulated industry.

Cannabis industry analysts believe that industry players like SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING) and Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) will be pleased by the signing of this law since it marks another chip taken off the wall of prohibition.

About CNW420

CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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