While the Senate favored a cap of up to 15 dispensaries for each operator, the House — which originally backed an infinite number of retail outlets — ultimately settled on a limit of 100 per operator before Republican leaders acknowledged publicly they had failed to finalize an accord.
“The question is whether or not there is a path forward to bridge that divide,” Negron, R-Stuart, told The News Service of Florida in a telephone interview Thursday. “There is communication between House members and senators on lots of issues, including medical marijuana. That’s productive and healthy. So let’s see where it goes.”
Lawmakers are highly unlikely to return to Tallahassee without having an agreed-upon deal, a possibility that remained questionable Thursday.
Negron gave no indication he was willing to back down from his stance that the state must limit the number of “pot shops” as part of the rollout of the constitutional amendment, which passed in November with more than 71 percent of the vote and could make Florida one of the most lucrative medical marijuana markets in the country. Estimates show that more than 500,000 patients could be eligible for the treatment.
