James Pruden (Email Campaign Website) is a candidate for US FL-22 and has stated the following on medical cannabis: As I'm sure you know, in 2016 medical use of Cannabis was legalized in Florida by way of a constitutional amendment.  Many states, who have not done so already, are sure to follow.  As the medical merits of this specific use seem to have advantages (according to some studies), I have no specific objection to such limited use under legitimate medical care, as authorized by Florida law.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, I do have some concerns as cannabis use is not without health risks and enough medical studies have not been done to assess the full impact of its use (according to the FDA, and who contends that a final determination has to be grounded in good science yet to be completed).  To be clear, I do not support recreational use of the drug and I've seen how the "medical loophole" has been grossly abused much like the opioids problem we have experienced.  This abuse is further evidenced by the "delivery method" of the drug, meaning smoking as opposed to edibles or pills.  As such, I believe it is unfortunate that the restriction on smoking the drug in Florida was lifted earlier this year. It is my reasonable belief that such delivery method represents considerable health risks such as lung cancer (but medical science still needs to fully explore this).   As for Federal law, you have to keep in mind that cannabis is still a controlled substance and legislators look to the FDA for guidance as opposed to them deciding to take on the role of self-appointed scientists and doctors.  As such, my position is that until the FDA establishes appropriate guidelines balancing the risks with medical benefits that are adequately supported by legitimate studies, the decision to accept the unknown risks should remain a decision to be made on a state by state basis.  At such time as the FDA may determine appropriate guidelines such as safe delivery methods, appropriate medical conditions warranting its use, dosing and monitoring protocols (just as with any other drug), then I would be willing to support federal legislation to support it; however, any such legislation would continue to contemplate penalties for illegal distribution and use (same as with illegal distribution and use of any other controlled medical drug).