Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Opponents of a 2014 medical marijuana campaign that ultimately proved unsuccessful insisted that any law allowing sick people to ingest the drug should be crafted by the Legislature, not enshrined in the state constitution.
But with the 2015 legislative session closing with no action, pot proponents said they'll be back crisscrossing the state with petitions to put the issue on the 2016 ballot.
"It's pretty unbelievable," said Ben Pollara, executive director of People United for Medical Marijuana, which is conducting the citizen's initiative. "There were some really good bills filed by some brave Republican legislators that I thought would have a shot. It turned out they didn't."
Not one of the bills addressing wider use of medical marijuana even received a committee hearing. A bill fine-tuning the "Charlotte's Web" law passed last year moved to the full Senate floor, but was a casualty of the late-session chaos. That measure allows a non-euphoric strain of cannabis to be used for certain conditions.
People United's 2014 incarnation landed a 58 percent majority in the November election, coming up just short of the 60 percent needed for a constitutional amendment. There were 3.4 million "yes" votes, a half a million more than Gov. Rick Scott received in his successful bid for a second term.
Proponents felt that might provide momentum for legislative action.
"We got 58 percent of Florida asking for a medical marijuana law," Pollara said. "That wasn't a poll, it was a vote. The one we got on election day wasn't a win, but it was a big majority."
John Morgan, managing partner of the Morgan & Morgan law firm and the major donor to the medical marijuana effort, said he's on board again.
"I was hoping - like many of you - that our legislators would wake the hell up, realize that the science is there, the will of the people is there, and that a delay not only hurts patients, it's going to hurt them in the next election," Morgan said in the latest email blasted by People United.
The group said it has addressed some of the "loopholes" cited by opponents in last year's campaign.
Bankrolled by Las Vegas casino magnate and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, the "No On 2" campaign outspent People United by 3 to 1 late in the campaign with ads hammering on the availability of the drug to minors and recreational pot use.
The new amendment specifically requires parental consent and states that those eligible for medical marijuana must have debilitating conditions. It requires the Department of Health to establish qualifications and standards for caregivers, who will undergo background checks.
Opponents aren't swayed by the language tweaks.
"We're just continuing to do what we always do," educating people about the dangers of drug addiction, including marijuana, said Amy Ronshausen, deputy director of the St. Petersburg-based Drug Free America Foundation. "We don't think that medicine should be determined by popular vote or by legislation."
People United submitted its petition and received approval by the secretary of state's office in January. Lawmakers have another chance to act on medical marijuana - the 2016 session begins in January - but Pollara said his group would continue the citizen's initiative even if the Legislature were to act.
"The chances of them passing a sweeping medical marijuana bill are pretty minimal," he said.
What will the campaign do differently?
"We need to raise more money," Pollara said. "We learned a lot of lessons from the last campaign, but the biggest one is that when you get outspent two or three to one, it's tough to pull off a 60 percent victory."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana proponents fire up initiative for 2016 ballot | TBO.com and The Tampa Tribune
Author: Jerome R. Stockfisch | Tribune Staff Jerome R.
Contact: Subscribe to The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Times
Photo Credit: Eric Risberg
Website: TBO.com: Tampa Bay Online, The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Times - breaking news and weather.
But with the 2015 legislative session closing with no action, pot proponents said they'll be back crisscrossing the state with petitions to put the issue on the 2016 ballot.
"It's pretty unbelievable," said Ben Pollara, executive director of People United for Medical Marijuana, which is conducting the citizen's initiative. "There were some really good bills filed by some brave Republican legislators that I thought would have a shot. It turned out they didn't."
Not one of the bills addressing wider use of medical marijuana even received a committee hearing. A bill fine-tuning the "Charlotte's Web" law passed last year moved to the full Senate floor, but was a casualty of the late-session chaos. That measure allows a non-euphoric strain of cannabis to be used for certain conditions.
People United's 2014 incarnation landed a 58 percent majority in the November election, coming up just short of the 60 percent needed for a constitutional amendment. There were 3.4 million "yes" votes, a half a million more than Gov. Rick Scott received in his successful bid for a second term.
Proponents felt that might provide momentum for legislative action.
"We got 58 percent of Florida asking for a medical marijuana law," Pollara said. "That wasn't a poll, it was a vote. The one we got on election day wasn't a win, but it was a big majority."
John Morgan, managing partner of the Morgan & Morgan law firm and the major donor to the medical marijuana effort, said he's on board again.
"I was hoping - like many of you - that our legislators would wake the hell up, realize that the science is there, the will of the people is there, and that a delay not only hurts patients, it's going to hurt them in the next election," Morgan said in the latest email blasted by People United.
The group said it has addressed some of the "loopholes" cited by opponents in last year's campaign.
Bankrolled by Las Vegas casino magnate and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, the "No On 2" campaign outspent People United by 3 to 1 late in the campaign with ads hammering on the availability of the drug to minors and recreational pot use.
The new amendment specifically requires parental consent and states that those eligible for medical marijuana must have debilitating conditions. It requires the Department of Health to establish qualifications and standards for caregivers, who will undergo background checks.
Opponents aren't swayed by the language tweaks.
"We're just continuing to do what we always do," educating people about the dangers of drug addiction, including marijuana, said Amy Ronshausen, deputy director of the St. Petersburg-based Drug Free America Foundation. "We don't think that medicine should be determined by popular vote or by legislation."
People United submitted its petition and received approval by the secretary of state's office in January. Lawmakers have another chance to act on medical marijuana - the 2016 session begins in January - but Pollara said his group would continue the citizen's initiative even if the Legislature were to act.
"The chances of them passing a sweeping medical marijuana bill are pretty minimal," he said.
What will the campaign do differently?
"We need to raise more money," Pollara said. "We learned a lot of lessons from the last campaign, but the biggest one is that when you get outspent two or three to one, it's tough to pull off a 60 percent victory."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana proponents fire up initiative for 2016 ballot | TBO.com and The Tampa Tribune
Author: Jerome R. Stockfisch | Tribune Staff Jerome R.
Contact: Subscribe to The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Times
Photo Credit: Eric Risberg
Website: TBO.com: Tampa Bay Online, The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Times - breaking news and weather.
