Florida Marijuana Laws
While marijuana is still a banned substance at a federal level, state law regarding its consumption has seen some relaxation in many states. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal marijuana laws .Accordingly it is considered to be highly addictive and of no medical use. Heavy penalties are rewarded if one is found with marijuana. In the USA marijuana laws differ from state to state. While some states like California are quite liberal, states like Florida have very strict marijuana laws.
Under Florida marijuana laws possession of marijuana is a punishable offense. It has not legalized the medical use of marijuana. Even if you are a patient who is required to use marijuana you may be arrested if you are found with marijuana under Florida marijuana laws.
Possession of marijuana less than 20g is considered a misdemeanor and you can be imprisoned for 1 year and fined $1000. Possession of more than 20g of marijuana is a felony and the guilty person can be imprisoned for 5 years and fined $5000.If one is found to possess 25 or more plants of marijuana he will be booked under felony. He can be imprisoned for 15 years and fined $10000.
Sale or cultivation of marijuana is also severely punished. If you sale or cultivate less than 20g of marijuana then it will be considered a misdemeanor and you can be imprisoned for 1 year and fined $1000. If it is 25 lbs or less then it is a felony and under Florida marijuana laws you could be jailed for a period of 5 years and fined $5000. For cultivation or sale of 25lbs to 2000 lbs of marijuana the Mandatory Minimum Sentence (MMS) is 3 years and a fine of $25000. If it is between 2000lbs to 10000lbs then the MMS is 7 years and fine is $ 50000. If it is 10000 lbs or more then the MMS is 15 years and fine is $200,000. There are laws regarding the location of sale or cultivation of marijuana. If marijuana is cultivated or sold within 1000 feet of any school, park or college or any such area specified under law then, the guilty can be imprisoned for a period of 15 years and fined $10000.
Florida marijuana laws are thus quite strict. There has been an increasing demand by the people of Florida to legalize the medical use of marijuana. In the USA medical use of marijuana has been legalized in 16 states. This has helped in curing various medical conditions and provided relief to the people. In Florida the courts have also supported the demand of people for legalization of medical use of marijuana. But the government has still not legalized marijuana’s medical use.
Thus in USA marijuana laws are not uniform across all states. United States has been a witness to increasing demand since the 1970′s for legalization of marijuana for medical use keeping in mind its usefulness in treating certain medical conditions such as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis arthritis and many other. It would be interesting to see how US federal laws and Florida state laws evolve in coming years and what contours they take when it comes to prosecuting personal users. Last but not the least, it is always better not become an addict to any substance including marijuana and in case you have experimented with the weed, it would be advisable for you seek rehabilitation.
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