Will recreational marijuana be legalized in Florida in 2020? John Morgan thinks so.

Frank Gluck | The News-Press

Orlando attorney John Morgan, who bankrolled the successful effort to broadly legalize medical marijuana in Florida two years ago, says he will raise funds — and dip into his own deep pockets — to get a recreational use measure on the 2020 ballot.

Morgan said he is speaking with U.S. marijuana companies to raise enough money to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot and would personally contribute any needed funds. He estimates the campaign would need about $5 million.

"At this particular time in America, people are tired of arguing about marijuana. Just legalize it and let it be," Morgan said in an interview with The USA Today Network - Florida this week. "It’s a 21st-century business as we are losing jobs to robots and artificial intelligence."

Morgan hasn't settled on the details of a legalization amendment other than it would allow adults to use marijuana recreationally, similar to laws in place in Colorado and California.

I'm going to look at starting a fund where we all can donate to get full marijuana legalization on the ballot in 2020.



When you mess with the will of the people there are unintended consequences!!



The cannabis industry is well funded now. Money won’t be a problem. #ForThePeople — John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) June 26, 2018

Two proposed Florida amendments have been floating around for years, though neither has been able to generate enough backing to get on the ballot.

The best financed of them, one backed by Tampa attorney Michael Minardi, calls for marijuana to be regulated much like alcohol. Minardi had hoped to get it on the 2018 ballot but fell well short of the needed signatures to do so.

Minardi said he has not spoken with Morgan. "We are working on trying to set something up," he said in an email.

Want to learn about marijuana? There is a class for that at FGCU. Florida Gulf Coast University will offer its students a class on marijuana in August.

Whatever the amendment looks like, it would need the support of at least 60 percent of voters to pass. Morgan said he believes it will pass easily, particularly in a presidential election year expected to draw out young Floridians to the polls.

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Nine states have already fully legalized marijuana. And support for legalization is at an all-time high nationally — Gallup has it at 64 percent, and others have it at 60 percent or close to it. Support is particularly higher among people younger than 65.

Morgan's latest pot push comes amid his legal fight with Gov. Rick Scott's administration over state rules prohibiting medical marijuana users from smoking cannabis. A Florida appeals court handed Morgan a setback when it reversed a lower court ruling that lifted the smoking ban. The legal fight continues.

4/20 Day: How to get a medical marijuana card in Florida A look at how to get a medical marijuana card in Florida. Additional information can be found at floridahealth.gov.

Morgan said Scott's continued opposition to medical marijuana is a snub to the 71 percent of Floridians who voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2016.

As of this week, more than 130,000 Floridians now qualify to use cannabis for medical purposes, according to the state's Office of Medical Marijuana Use. Those numbers have been increasing by several thousand every week since legalization.

"I think it can be Florida’s way of telling Rick Scott, ‘You’re dead wrong. You have thwarted our will and you’ve taken our money to fight what we want, what we voted for with nearly 72 percent of the vote," he said. "It’s so perverted that it’s hard to believe it’s happening. He will lose the United States Senate race over this issue."

More: Medical marijuana businesses setting up shop in Southwest Florida

More: Marijuana: There is a class for that at FGCU

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who faces Scott this fall, has said he supports smokable medical marijuana. But he has previously said that he opposes recreational marijuana use. His office did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Marijuana use for any purpose remains illegal under federal law, but federal authorities have largely allowed states to experiment with cannabis decriminalization.

Morgan, a prominent Democratic Party fundraiser who announced his split from the party in 2017, has praised President Trump for his recent statements that he will continue that hands-off approach. He said it was one of the key reasons he decided to back full legalization.

"I think Donald Trump is smarter than most all politicians because you don’t see him bashing marijuana," he said.

Morgan spent roughly $9 million of his own money to help pass a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana.

Ben Pollara, a political strategist who oversaw Morgan's medical marijuana campaigns, has been skeptical about legal marijuana's chances in Florida — at least in the short term. But Morgan's decision to get behind the cause changes the equation, he said.

"He is someone who, time and time again, has put his money where his mouth is," Pollara said.

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @FrankGluck