TALLAHASSEE — In a closely watched case, an appeal court this week agreed to put on hold a circuit judge’s ruling that said Florida lawmakers and the state Department of Health have violated a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
The 1st District Court of Appeal delayed the ruling but also said consideration of the underlying issues in the case would be “expedited."
The Florida Department of Health went to the appeals court in October after Leon Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with the Tampa-based firm Florigrown in a battle about how the state is carrying out the constitutional amendment.
Dodson found that a 2017 law was unconstitutional and issued a temporary injunction requiring state health officials to begin registering Florigrown and other medical-marijuana firms to do business.
