Florida lawmakers are trying to cap THC in recreational pot before it's even legal

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove information regarding personal cultivation.

A Florida bill that would cap the amount of THC in pot products sold for recreational use has passed the Senate Health Policy Committee.

Recreational pot is not currently legal in Florida, but voters are poised to change that in November, should a proposed amendment get the OK from the Florida Supreme Court.

This bill, SB 7050, looks to get ahead of the possible change by creating what Committee Chairwoman Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, called a separate regulatory structure for recreational marijuana.

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"Should the amendment pass, we will continue to have a medical marijuana market and we would have a personal use market," Burton added. "The potencies and quantities that you see in the recommended language today are based upon keeping that separate."

Here's what to know about the possible caps on recreational pot in Florida and SB 7050.

Florida bill would impose caps on recreational weed

Florida SB 7050 seeks to limit the potency of personal use marijuana to 30% THC in smokable pot and 60% on other products, including pre-filled vape cartridges for inhalation. It would also limit edibles to 15 milligrams of TCH for each single serving portion, with a 200 milligrams total cap.

Personal use is defined in the bill as the possession, purchase or use of marijuana or a marijuana delivery service by an adult 21 years of age or older for nonmedical consumption.

What is THC?

Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a compound found in marijuana that can be impairing or mind-altering, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant that makes users feel "high" when smoked or digested as an edible.

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Critics say THC cap in pot is premature

Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, said that she believed the Senate was putting the cart before the horse as the fate of the proposed amendment still rests in the hands of the Florida Supreme Court. State law also requires that 60% of voters must be in favor of the amendment to pass.

Others believe that the legislation could create a sizable potency gap between medical and recreational pot. While most flower products sold by Florida's medical-marijuana operators fall within the proposed cap limits, many other forms of cannabis products exceed the proposed 60% cap.

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The petition, which fully outlines the proposed constitutional amendments, can be read in full here.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: THC in recreational pot in Florida could be capped before made legal