Senate President Don Gaetz says a bill could be out in his chamber this week to legalize a marijuana extract known as Charlotte's Web. Its backers say the extract can dramatically reduce seizures in children with a rare form of epilepsy.
Charlotte's Web has only a small amount of THC, the psychoactive compound in pot, so reports say it doesn't get users high. The Senate bill would closely mirror a bill filed in the House by Gaetz's son, Criminal Justice Chairman Matt Gaetz.
The House bill would legalize forms of cannabis that contain a certain amount of THC, along with the resin extracted from the plant. Gaetz Senior says the bill has a good chance of being considered.
"Obviously there is an uphill climb with a bill like that, but our understanding is that a group of Republican senators will be filing a bill like that later this week."
Some GOP lawmakers have expressed concerned that support for Charlotte's Web could be confused with support for a medical marijuana proposal on the ballot in November. But Charlotte's Web isn't a euphoric, unlike the marijuana that patients with severe illnesses could get under the proposed constitutional amendment
The federal Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved the extract, but supporters say it reduces seizures in people with a form of epilepsy that doesn't respond to other treatments.