The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera received a barrage of phone calls yesterday from people lobbying him on a medical marijuana bill.

The Times reports:

Starting at about 8 a.m., [Cantera’s] office fielded more than 80 phone [calls] from folks wanting to educate House Republicans on the benefits of medicinal marijuana. The callers requested a caucus meeting on the subject.

“The 420 Caucus,” Lopez-Cantera later joked. Office staffers said they would pass the message along.

State Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, filed the joint resolution that would allow Floridians to vote on whether they want to legalize medical marijuana during the 2012 election. If approved, his resolution would create an article in our state constitution that would “allow medical use of cannabis by citizens and allow [the] Legislature to implement these provisions by general law.”

Clemens has said that medical marijuana represents a ”a compassion issue” for him. State Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, is the sponsor of the Senate version of the resolution.

So far, Clemens and Bullard’s resolution has not been referred to any committees. However, a group has been petitioning the Legislature to give it a hearing.