By Monterey Bud
Pandering to fear and ignorance rather than facts and science, opponents of Florida’s medical marijuana ballot initiative – Amendment 2 – have taken to deceit and misrepresentation as a means of demonizing Florida’s 2016 MMJ question.
After barely missing the legal threshold of 60% for passage in 2014, the good people at United for Care refined their verbiage for the 2016 vote and eliminated any unwanted ambiguity surrounding what is or is not permissible … provided of course Amendment 2 passes.
New words for old fears…
Should Florida’s newest attempt at passing their medical marijuana initiative harvest the required votes, Amendment 2 would clearly mandate all patients be over the age of 18, or obtain parental consent and a doctor’s recommendation – while simultaneously delineating the applicable medical conditions.
In other words, if passed, Amendment 2 would provide holistic options for Floridians suffering from ALS, PTSD, MS, cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, glaucoma, Crohn’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease; rather than forcing them to suckle at the teat of Big Pharmacy in the hopes of regaining the quality of life they once enjoyed.
Having none of it, opponents of Florida’s medical marijuana legislation mailed out a propaganda-filled pamphlet to voters during July. Stirring the pot of discontent, Vote No On 2 is informing the not so blissfully ignorant that Florida’s constitutional amendment would disallow any restrictions on the locations of marijuana-related businesses.
According to politifact.com and MPP’s Kate Bell, “regulations would have to spell out specifics, such as setbacks from schools and how dispensaries must follow local zoning laws. If the state doesn’t make distinct rules about dispensaries, local zoning rules would likely apply.”
Two miserable years later, Florida’s tenacious voters are ready to try again. After first narrowly tasting defeat in 2012, when United for Care rallied the pro-MMJ troops and managed to harvest 58% of the vote, Florida again hopes to make the Sunshine State the second to legalize medical marijuana south of the Mason-Dixon line (Washington DC).
