Controversial Orlando attorney John Morgan, who bankrolled Florida’s successful medical marijuana measure last November, hinted this week that he has eyes on the governor’s mansion.
In a Palm Beach speech on Wednesday the brash Democratic lawyer worth an estimated $100 million, told the cannabis-friendly audience:
“If they write an obituary, they’re going to say, ‘That’s the guy that took millions of dollars out of his pocket and legalized medical marijuana in the state of Florida.’ They’re going to say, maybe, ‘That’s the guy who ran for governor of the state of Florida, and one of his platforms was full legalization of marijuana.’ ”
A Democrat has not won a Florida gubernatorial race since 1994 when Lawton Chiles defeated Jeb Bush.
In Florida’s new medical marijuana program, patients can vape, or consume pills, oils, or edibles. But smoking it remains illegal.
“By redefining the constitutionally defined term ‘medical use’ to exclude smoking, the Legislature substitutes its medical judgment for that of ‘a licensed Florida physician’ and is in direct conflict with the specifically articulated Constitutional process,” his suit charges.
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The language of the ballot amendment stated that smoking medical marijuana in public could be banned. It did not, however, mention anything about smoking in private. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if smoking is not allowed in public, it must certainly be allowed in private,” Morgan said. “That’s the intent. That’s what we said before we started.”
Aside from his political ambitions, Morgan on Wednesday once again voiced his bullishness for cannabis investment. He reiterated his bold plan to invest up to $100 million of his own money in marijuana-related companies. “What we worry about most in the 21st century is jobs, automation, robots,” Morgan said. “This is an industry that’s going to be a job creator,” he said.
