Senate committee backs bill to ban public marijuana smoking

Senator Anne Marie Rodriguez told the Committee on Regulated Issues that Senate Bill 986 would prohibit smoking or vaping marijuana in public places and indoor venues such as bars and rooms, arguing the change would protect public health and keep beaches and parks smoke-free. "By banning public smoking of marijuana, we are protecting community health and quality of life," Rodriguez said.

The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, represented by Samantha Paget, said it supports adding vaping and marijuana to the Florida Indoor Clean Air Act to give employers freedom to maintain smoke-free workplaces, but asked the sponsor to clarify the bill's definition of "public places" to preserve private-property options such as designated hotel rooms or patios. Paget said members had invested in designated smoking areas under existing statutory language and want that ability to continue.

Jody James of the Florida Cannabis Action Network urged the committee to consider the rights of roughly 900,000 medical cannabis patients who use smoking as a state-authorized route of administration. James warned that an overly broad definition of "public place" could intrude on patients' ability to use medicine at or just outside their homes. "This becomes a real property rights issue," James said.

Rodriguez responded that the bill distinguishes dwellings and the curtilage of private homes from public gathering spaces and asked the committee for favorable support. The clerk called the roll and the committee reported SB 986 favorably.

The committee did not adopt amendments on the record during the hearing. The next procedural step is the committee report; the measure will proceed according to the Senate's calendar and additional committees if assigned.