PHSC Hosts FAMU Forum to Explain Florida Marijuana Law Changes

A free community forum at Pasco-Hernando State College’s North Campus in Brooksville aimed to cut through confusion about Florida marijuana laws and the legal risks that can affect local residents. The Florida A&M University Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) brought a panel of experts to discuss state law changes, possible federal reclassification and the potential impact on children and arrests tied to misunderstandings of the rules.

GP Mendie, FAMU executive director of MMERI and assistant vice president for research, framed the outreach as a public education mission. “The normalization of cannabis behooves us at MMERI to help the public make informed decisions about its use,” Mendie said. “Our mission is to advance knowledge about cannabis laws. That’s the purpose of our forum in Brooksville.” Mendie also emphasized confusion in the public debate: “There is so much conflicting information on medical versus recreational cannabis, and state versus federal marijuana laws. Our goal is to educate and inform the public, not only about the legal uses of cannabis but also about the potential consequences of its unlawful use.”

MMERI was created in 2019 and has hosted or participated in more than 300 virtual and in-person events across Florida. The Brooksville forum continued a statewide push to explain distinctions between legally authorized medical marijuana and illicit “street weed,” and to help residents understand how evolving state and federal policy could reshape access and enforcement.

The Brooksville session was one in a series of MMERI activities that also included two all-day forums on April 19, 2024, in Tallahassee. Panelists pictured at the Tallahassee event included Shamarial Roberson, Lola Ohonba, Mister McTier and Michael McCormick. Shamarial Roberson, a FAMU alumna and former Florida deputy secretary for health, said the forum offered an “important and very timely conversation” as advocates press for Amendment 3. The proposed amendment would allow individuals over 21 to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to five grams of cannabis concentrate.

On campus, a separate FAMU Student Government Association event brought law enforcement, medical professionals and student representatives into the conversation. Student government officer Chloe Lafaille said, "It's becoming more of a norm in the healthcare system, it's being used more for people whether it's cancer or other illnesses," and "So it's something that is being researched but as far as the general public, we just don't know enough about it." Student attendee Anthony Tate, who said he struggles with anxiety, described the forum as encouraging: "I feel like it encouraged me to like to be safe about it and to really just use it legally." FAMU Chief of Police Terence Calloway warned students about consequences: "You will risk the possibility of getting kicked out of school. So you still can be arrested I don't care if you say I don't know what it is I don't think I know what it was. I don't care."

Policy context matters for Hernando County families and students. Medical marijuana has been legal in Florida for nearly a decade, but recreational use remains illegal statewide, and national data show rising marijuana use among college students over the past five years. The Florida Legislature has approved funding for minority education about marijuana, enabling MMERI’s outreach.

For Hernando residents, the forum underscores two practical points: know the difference between medical and recreational cannabis, and be aware that legal changes at state or federal levels can alter access and enforcement. MMERI officials said they maintain free educational resources online and plan continued community events; monitoring Amendment 3’s progress and local enforcement policies will determine whether further outreach or policy adjustments are needed.