Attorney John Morgan asks Gov. Scott to allow smokable medical marijuana

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The fight over smokable medical marijuana continues with advocates blaming Gov. Rick Scott for dragging out the process.

When the Florida Legislature drew up the rules to distribute the drug in 2016, they excluded smokable medical marijuana and said it was unhealthy.

“Over 72 percent of the people voted to have medical marijuana,” said attorney John Morgan.

Morgan led the fight in 2014 and in 2016 to get medical marijuana approved by voters.

Morgan said Florida voters have already spoken and they knew what they were approving back in 2016.

"We clearly laid out that smokable marijuana was anticipated,” Morgan said.

Morgan took aim at the Scott administration Tuesday for the health department’s appeal who answers to the governor.

"Rick Scott is the boss, and the buck stops there with the man wearing the Navy hat,” Morgan said. “What everyone needs to understand is that Gov. Scott could remove that appeal today.”

But if history is any indication, Scott and the state are not likely to drop the appeal, which means this may all end up before the Florida Supreme Court with taxpayers paying the legal bills the entire way.

Since 2011, Florida has paid more than $19 million to fight and lose lawsuits, from drug testing for welfare to same sex marriage bans to secret redistricting deals.

“This madness has to end. How much more money is the state of Florida going to spend?” Morgan asked.

For people like Christina Cusack, who has multiple sclerosis, she has spent years living in pain.

“I just lay down. I just lay down in the dark and try not to think about it,” Cusack said.

Cusack has phased out pharmaceuticals to uses medical marijuana oil. She vapes, but said she would prefer to smoke.

“If the oils had a benefit to them, then I’d be all pro-oil, but it’s not enough,” Cusack said.

“It is for many people, the most effective and direct mechanism for relief,” Morgan said.

Cox Media Group