EAST NAPLES, Fla. — A local medical marijuana licensing facility, MyFloridaGreen, filed a lawsuit against the State of Florida, focusing on the “Smart & Safe Bill,” which is currently being discussed for referendum in the Florida Supreme Court. 

The bill would legalize recreational marijuana for all adults over the age of 21, and could potentially be on the ballot in 2024. 

“Medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are completely separate. That’s really something people need to pay attention to. Unfortunately they get intertwined and bastardized. It’s really unfortunate,” said Nicholas Garulay, the founder of MyFloridaGreen. 

MyFloridaGreen treats about 40,000 patients across the state, many of whom suffer from debilitating conditions. 

“We’ve spent millions and invested thousands of hours to create a platform that bridges that gap between the patient and the doctor, plus the state if they will ever work with us. Now there’s a potential program that could turn it all into a joke,” added Garulay, when asked about the importance of the suit. 

Garulay told ABC7 that the health of patients is paramount and differentiation between recreational and medical cannabis is essential. 

“We’ve documented incredible results. 85% of our patients improve their quality of sleep, lower their anxiety. 67% of our patients reduce the need for prescribed medications they want to get off of. 45% reduce the need for alcohol. The person that wants to get high should be completely separate from the person suffering from a debilitating condition,” Garulay said. 

Discussions focusing on the “Smart and Safe” Bill are ongoing inside the Florida Supreme Court. The legalization bill has already received more than 1 million signatures for approval to a referendum. 

Count on ABC7 to Get you More information if recreational marijuana makes it to the 2024 ballot.