Police to have option of issuing $150 citation to those caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana

I received the following e-mail from the Florida medical marijuana campaign:

We talk to a lot of veterans in this campaign.  Some have come to us because of major injuries they sustained, and are supporting medical marijuana because of how it has alleviated pain.

Others – old and young – have PTSD from combat situations – and find that marijuana keeps their mind steady and reduces the number of incidents. (It should be noted that PTSD is one of the conditions explicitly mentioned in the petition.)

There are many ways to honor veterans, and these brave and hard working men and women unquestionably deserve our thanks. But our veterans – as much as anyone – also deserve treatment options for their conditions.

Why should California and Colorado capitalize on America's budding pot craze and economic boon -- and not Florida?

Growing numbers of Americans believe pot should be legal for medical and personal use. Miami-Dade recently gave cops discretion to hand out citations instead of handcuffs for anyone caught with a baggy of marijuana. Broward and Palm Beach should follow suit soon.

With our sun, sand and surf, no other place on the planet is more primed to take advantage of the American Pot Era than South Florida. Now is the time to pave the way.

Five reasons South Florida should decriminalize pot:

FORT MYERS, Fla. - A new drug is on the rise in Southwest Florida, and experts say it isn't going anywhere.

It's a form of highly concentrated marijuana that you smoke, but it's disguised.

It's called "wax," because of the way it looks, and is also known as "dab" or "budder."

"A couple of my friends have talked to me about it. They usually say that it's really strong. I guess it gives them a better high or something out of it," 21-year-old Toby Williams said.

The "wax" is highly concentrated THC, the ingredient in marijuana that gets you high, solidified to be smoked and vaped.

It's biggest draw is that it's very hard to detect.

New polls show strong support for marijuana in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania ahead of next year's national elections.

Super-majorities of voters believe that medical cannabis should be legal, and most men additionally support legalizing marijuana for all adults, according to the results of a Quinnipiac University Swing State poll.

Pollsters gauged support for marijuana law reform in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

I received the following message from the Florida medical marijuana campaign:

Our opponents have decided NOT to contest United for Care’s 2016 petition at the Florida Supreme Court.  As you may recall, United for Care won approval of the 2014 petition despite strong opposition by Attorney General Bondi’s office, as well as the Florida Medical Association, Chamber of Commerce, Florida Sheriffs Association and others.

NONE of these groups filed opposition this time!

While this could mean a speedier approval by the Supreme Court, it is at least a tacit acknowledgment by Attorney General Bondi that this petition is likely to satisfy the Court.

Almost a year-and-a-half since Gov. Rick Scott and state lawmakers legalized a form of medical marijuana, the latest deadline for making it available to Floridians has gone up in smoke.

Again.

You can now smoke your pot and eat it, too.

The legalization of medical marijuana in a number of U.S. states and for recreational usage in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska and Washington, D.C., has created a new market for marijuana-infused edibles.

And these treats go beyond the old fashioned pot brownies.

According to a recent NBC report, bakers whip up laced treats in industrial kitchens that are later sold in legal dispensaries. In Colorado, consumers bought 5.8 million infused edibles and concentrate products in 2014, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue Annual Update.

While edibles are popular elsewhere, local law enforcement officials say they are not yet a significant part of the underground drug market in St. Johns County.

Usage of marijuana has been doubled over the past years as laws and attitudes toward the drug dramatically transformed.  Entrepreneurs of marijuana will choose their ambassadors to be users to relate the benefits of their products to customers.

Marijuana consumption increased among all groups studied, but researchers noted certain rise in women, Black or Hispanic individuals living in the South.  These people are older or in their middle ages, according to CBS News.

Fully Automated "Plug 'n Play" Grow Platform Designed to Increase Productivity & Profit

Saint Petersburg, FL, Oct. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HempTech Corp., a technology company catering to the cultivators of industrial hemp and cannabis market, is excited to announce the launch of "grow.droid", an all-inclusive, fully automated "plug 'n play" grow platform designed with premium commercial agriculture components for marijuana growers and cooperatives. The grow.droid product will be launched at the 4th annual Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, November 11th - 13th. This unique grow platform is available with a monthly lease option making growing affordable for small to medium sized grow facilities.