It was a legal setback for one of Tampa Bay’s most recognizable figures, who wants to grow medical marijuana to treat his lung cancer.
On Wednesday, a state appellate court told Joe Redner, perhaps best known for his Mons Venus strip club, that he cannot legally grow his own marijuana under Florida’s new medical pot law.
“I’m going to the mat on this one,” said Redner. “I feel like these people have no respect for the Constitution.”
Among those fighting to fully legalize pot, Redner is a champion. He’s got deep pockets and a set of principles that once saw him spend thousands to recoup just $5 from a local police department.
For Redner, who’s been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, the battle is personal.
He’s in remission now but wants to use pot plants for “juicing” – a kind of cannabis cocktail.
“And I believe that this ruling interferes with what my doctor can prescribe for me,” said Redner, “What is legal medicine.”
On Wednesday, Redner lost a big battle in his weed war when a state appellate court overturned a lower court ruling that would have allowed him and others to grow their own pot, presumably at a much lower cost.
The appellate court rejected Redner’s argument that his right to possess and use the whole pot plant and its seeds also gives him the right to cultivate and process his own marijuana.
“I know what the court says,” Redner argues, “But that’s not what the amendment says.”
Redner vows to appeal the appellate court’s decision, by first asking them for a new hearing. If denied, he says he’ll take his case to the Florida Supreme Court.
“I’m fighting the fight for the Constitution, which is for everybody,” he says. “For poor people that can’t afford their medicine. And for myself. Because I think that juicing is going to extend my life.”
Redner says he’s got two weeks to decide what his next legal step will be.
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