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Trial lawyer John Morgan, one of President Barack Obama's top Florida fundraisers, has thrown his clout behind a medical marijuana initiative whose proponents have struggled for more than three years to get the question before Florida voters.
Morgan recently pledged to raise money – and plug in his own, if necessary – to get a measure on the 2014 ballot that would make Florida the 19th state to legalize the growing and purchase of marijuana for medical purposes.
Morgan also happens to be the boss of Charlie Crist, whose name might be alongside the pot measure as the Democratic nominee for governor. Crist served as the Republican governor of Florida from 2009 until he became an independent to finish his losing campaign for the U.S. Senate. He registered as a Democrat in December and has said he's mulling another run for governor.
Morgan, head of the Orlando-based Morgan & Morgan law firm, says he hasn't spoken about the measure with Crist, who works as a lawyer in the firm's Tampa office.
"That has not factored into my decision here," Morgan said recently. "I plan to talk to Charlie and see what he thinks about all this. But what I do is not governed by what I think Charlie Crist might do."
But others say the medical marijuana initiative could help draw voters to the polls who would more likely support Crist or another Democratic candidate than Gov. Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent who is seeking re-election.
The proposal would allow patients with certain illnesses, such as cancer or glaucoma, to grow or buy marijuana if they have a doctor's prescription.
A Jan. 30-Feb. 4 survey conducted by Democratic pollster David Beattie's Hamilton Campaigns found that 73 percent of Floridians support the medical marijuana initiative.
The poll also showed majority support across party, race and demographic lines, but where it forecast a potential advantage for Democrats was in those voters most likely to support the measure: white women, English-speaking Hispanics and blacks.
Black voters, who overwhelmingly support Democrats, typically are less likely to show up at the polls in a midterm election, but having an issue like medical marijuana on the ballot might help attract them to the polls in 2014, Beattie said.
Beattie also said the initiative could have a broader impact than just voter turnout.
"There will probably become a debate on should it be legal or not. That is an issue that could make a difference in a campaign, particularly if it became a debate in the governor's race. It would have an impact on how people see the race and the bigger implication of the race," he said.
Crist did not return requests for comment for this story.
But Scott recently staked out his opposition on the issue: He's against it.
Asked about the legalization of medical marijuana, Scott said: "I'm not supportive of marijuana. I oppose legalizing marijuana."
Morgan estimates it will cost $3 million-$3.5 million to gather the 683,149 signatures required to get the initiative on the ballot. He said he's already agreed to pay former House Speaker Jon Mills $15,000 to examine currently proposed ballot language and possibly more to rewrite it. And it could cost another $10 million to promote the issue to voters once the question is on the ballot.
"I know how to raise money. I know how to move people. And I have the ability ... that they may not have had in the past," Morgan said of People United for Medical Marijuana, or PUFMM, the political campaign launched in 2009 to get the issue on the ballot.
Florida law requires that ballot initiatives meet a "single-subject" rule, meaning it could be difficult to include the restrictions that Morgan says he wants to ensure that legalization of medical marijuana does not segue into a more nefarious scenario.
"I want to make sure it's something the electorate sees is not a wink and a smile. I don't want it to be California because I think they would see it for what it is," Morgan said.
Morgan said his interest in the initiative comes from personal experience. He said his father suffered from esophageal cancer and emphysema until his brother got marijuana for him.
"His pain was relieved. His anxiety was relieved. He was able to enjoy, as much as you can, a serene life without nausea and was able to eat meals in his final days," Morgan said. "This is an issue of compassion."
He said he doesn't understand opposition to the idea.
"There's no doubt it works. So the question is are we going to let this herb, this plant that's put into nature by God, to be used when we need it the most or are we going to deny it?" he said.
Focusing the campaign around marijuana's medicinal qualities and not on getting high will be crucial to getting support from voters, according to Beattie's analysis. Florida law requires 60 percent voter approval for constitutional amendments to pass.
"Do refer to the proposed ballot initiative as an effort to allow the right to 'medicinal marijuana,'" Beattie's firm advised in the poll analysis.
"Don't refer to the proposed ballot initiative as 'legalization' of marijuana," the analysis says.
Voters in 18 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana, and 10 other states, including Florida, have pending legislation. State Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, has failed twice to get lawmakers to put the amendment on the ballot in Florida and has sponsored a bill again this year. Voters in Connecticut and Massachusetts last year approved ballot initiatives legalizing medical marijuana but Arkansas rejected the proposal.
State Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said he doesn't believe putting the question before voters next year in Florida will help Crist.
"I'd certainly talk about it if I were wanting to try to beat Charlie Crist in a governor's race," Thrasher said.
He said voters in his Northeast Florida district "wouldn't be very kindly disposed" to the notion.
"I think it's kind of insane, really," he said.
But not all Republicans share Thrasher's position.
GOP consultant Brian Hughes, a former Republican Party of Florida spokesman, said he believes the initiative, if crafted the right way, could bring out moderate Republicans, libertarians, independents and tea party voters who tend to vote for GOP candidates.
"If the debate is how can a doctor and a consenting adult make a decision when the adult is facing a serious terminal illness, I think small-government conservatives will be swayed by that. ... So the notion that it's a pure bonus for Democrats or liberals, I just think is preposterous," Hughes said.
University of Florida political scientist Daniel Smith, who specializes in ballot initiatives, said the issue has had mixed results in getting low-propensity voters to the polls in other states.
And putting the question before voters could be a gamble for Democratic candidates.
"You risk being painted too liberal," Smith said. "And candidates are not going to win by moving far to the left."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: palmbeachpost.com
Author: Dara Kam
Contact: Mail our staff | www.palmbeachpost.com
Website: Could Crist employer
Morgan recently pledged to raise money – and plug in his own, if necessary – to get a measure on the 2014 ballot that would make Florida the 19th state to legalize the growing and purchase of marijuana for medical purposes.
Morgan also happens to be the boss of Charlie Crist, whose name might be alongside the pot measure as the Democratic nominee for governor. Crist served as the Republican governor of Florida from 2009 until he became an independent to finish his losing campaign for the U.S. Senate. He registered as a Democrat in December and has said he's mulling another run for governor.
Morgan, head of the Orlando-based Morgan & Morgan law firm, says he hasn't spoken about the measure with Crist, who works as a lawyer in the firm's Tampa office.
"That has not factored into my decision here," Morgan said recently. "I plan to talk to Charlie and see what he thinks about all this. But what I do is not governed by what I think Charlie Crist might do."
But others say the medical marijuana initiative could help draw voters to the polls who would more likely support Crist or another Democratic candidate than Gov. Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent who is seeking re-election.
The proposal would allow patients with certain illnesses, such as cancer or glaucoma, to grow or buy marijuana if they have a doctor's prescription.
A Jan. 30-Feb. 4 survey conducted by Democratic pollster David Beattie's Hamilton Campaigns found that 73 percent of Floridians support the medical marijuana initiative.
The poll also showed majority support across party, race and demographic lines, but where it forecast a potential advantage for Democrats was in those voters most likely to support the measure: white women, English-speaking Hispanics and blacks.
Black voters, who overwhelmingly support Democrats, typically are less likely to show up at the polls in a midterm election, but having an issue like medical marijuana on the ballot might help attract them to the polls in 2014, Beattie said.
Beattie also said the initiative could have a broader impact than just voter turnout.
"There will probably become a debate on should it be legal or not. That is an issue that could make a difference in a campaign, particularly if it became a debate in the governor's race. It would have an impact on how people see the race and the bigger implication of the race," he said.
Crist did not return requests for comment for this story.
But Scott recently staked out his opposition on the issue: He's against it.
Asked about the legalization of medical marijuana, Scott said: "I'm not supportive of marijuana. I oppose legalizing marijuana."
Morgan estimates it will cost $3 million-$3.5 million to gather the 683,149 signatures required to get the initiative on the ballot. He said he's already agreed to pay former House Speaker Jon Mills $15,000 to examine currently proposed ballot language and possibly more to rewrite it. And it could cost another $10 million to promote the issue to voters once the question is on the ballot.
"I know how to raise money. I know how to move people. And I have the ability ... that they may not have had in the past," Morgan said of People United for Medical Marijuana, or PUFMM, the political campaign launched in 2009 to get the issue on the ballot.
Florida law requires that ballot initiatives meet a "single-subject" rule, meaning it could be difficult to include the restrictions that Morgan says he wants to ensure that legalization of medical marijuana does not segue into a more nefarious scenario.
"I want to make sure it's something the electorate sees is not a wink and a smile. I don't want it to be California because I think they would see it for what it is," Morgan said.
Morgan said his interest in the initiative comes from personal experience. He said his father suffered from esophageal cancer and emphysema until his brother got marijuana for him.
"His pain was relieved. His anxiety was relieved. He was able to enjoy, as much as you can, a serene life without nausea and was able to eat meals in his final days," Morgan said. "This is an issue of compassion."
He said he doesn't understand opposition to the idea.
"There's no doubt it works. So the question is are we going to let this herb, this plant that's put into nature by God, to be used when we need it the most or are we going to deny it?" he said.
Focusing the campaign around marijuana's medicinal qualities and not on getting high will be crucial to getting support from voters, according to Beattie's analysis. Florida law requires 60 percent voter approval for constitutional amendments to pass.
"Do refer to the proposed ballot initiative as an effort to allow the right to 'medicinal marijuana,'" Beattie's firm advised in the poll analysis.
"Don't refer to the proposed ballot initiative as 'legalization' of marijuana," the analysis says.
Voters in 18 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana, and 10 other states, including Florida, have pending legislation. State Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, has failed twice to get lawmakers to put the amendment on the ballot in Florida and has sponsored a bill again this year. Voters in Connecticut and Massachusetts last year approved ballot initiatives legalizing medical marijuana but Arkansas rejected the proposal.
State Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said he doesn't believe putting the question before voters next year in Florida will help Crist.
"I'd certainly talk about it if I were wanting to try to beat Charlie Crist in a governor's race," Thrasher said.
He said voters in his Northeast Florida district "wouldn't be very kindly disposed" to the notion.
"I think it's kind of insane, really," he said.
But not all Republicans share Thrasher's position.
GOP consultant Brian Hughes, a former Republican Party of Florida spokesman, said he believes the initiative, if crafted the right way, could bring out moderate Republicans, libertarians, independents and tea party voters who tend to vote for GOP candidates.
"If the debate is how can a doctor and a consenting adult make a decision when the adult is facing a serious terminal illness, I think small-government conservatives will be swayed by that. ... So the notion that it's a pure bonus for Democrats or liberals, I just think is preposterous," Hughes said.
University of Florida political scientist Daniel Smith, who specializes in ballot initiatives, said the issue has had mixed results in getting low-propensity voters to the polls in other states.
And putting the question before voters could be a gamble for Democratic candidates.
"You risk being painted too liberal," Smith said. "And candidates are not going to win by moving far to the left."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: palmbeachpost.com
Author: Dara Kam
Contact: Mail our staff | www.palmbeachpost.com
Website: Could Crist employer
