Medical Marijuana Could Be Big Election Winner in Florida
Posted November 4, 2016 04:55 am | Public News Service
Tallahassee, FL – While many of the big races are too close to call, experts say the big winner this election cycle in Florida and in many other parts of the country will likely be marijuana. Right now, Florida doctors can only prescribe medical marijuana to cancer patients or those with chronic seizures and muscle spasms.
But Amendment Two, which polls predict will pass by a
large margin, would expand the list to include
post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, HIV, AIDS,
ALS, Parkinson's disease, Crohn's disease, glaucoma and
multiple sclerosis.
Ben Pollara, campaign measure with United for Care, a
group backing the amendment, says he believes the time
is right to pass the measure.
"Certainly the United States as a whole is moving
forward on the issue of marijuana reform and
particularly medical marijuana, but then I think we've
been talking about this and having kind of a statewide
dialogue on medical marijuana for almost four years
now," he explained.
Two years ago, the measure just failed to get the
required 60 percent of the vote needed for a
constitutional amendment. Medical marijuana initiatives
are on the ballot in five states including Florida this
year, while voters in five other states will decide
whether or not to legalize the recreational use of pot.
While the measure still has its opponents, including
some who fear the language is too vague and could lead
to rampant abuse, the resistance seems to have died down
from groups such as the Florida Sheriffs Association,
which was outspoken against the issue two years ago.
Pollara says he's not surprised.
"In the last year, year and a half, there's also been
this movement at the city and county level of making the
possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults a
ticket versus an arrestable offense," he said. "It's an
acknowledgment by elected officials, by law enforcement,
that marijuana is not the worst thing in the world."
Experts believe that if a majority of these ballot
initiatives pass, particularly California's proposal to
legalize recreational pot, it would put pressure on the
federal government to reconsider its marijuana policy.
Images added by the Observer
This piece was reprinted by the Columbia County Observer with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.