Medical Marijuana Is on the Ballot in Florida
Join us and tell your reps how you feel!
Half of U.S. states have enacted medical marijuana laws, and this November Florida voters could amend their state’s constitution to create their own medical marijuana program.
What the Initiative Does
This initiative would amend the Florida constitution to allow use of marijuana by people with debilitating medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other diseases, as determined by a licensed doctor.
Caregivers would be allowed to assist patients’ medical use of marijuana. The Dept. of Health would register and regulate centers that produce and distribute medical marijuana, and issue identification cards to patients and caregivers.
The initiative explicitly says that this only applies to Florida laws and doesn’t protect Floridians for violations of federal law or any non-medical use, possession, or production of marijuana.
This initiative will appear on Florida ballots on November 8 as "Amendment 2."
In Favor
Legalizing marijuana for medical use is a compassionate way of providing people with debilitating illnesses with alternative treatments so they don’t have to rely on pharmaceutical remedies that are less effective or have side effects.
Opposed
Medical marijuana is unnecessary and leads to abuse by expanding access to the drug. There are plenty of synthetic substitutes that the pharmaceutical industry produces which have essentially the same effect as weed.
In Depth
This won’t be the first time that Floridians have voted on allowing medical marijuana at the state level. In 2014, a similar medical marijuana initiative won the approval of over 57 percent of voters, but it didn’t become law because it didn’t receive the 60 percent required to amend the state constitution. But the 2016 ballot measure is slightly different from the 2014 version. It includes a new parental consent requirement for use by minors, limits on the number of patients caregivers can assist, and opens doctors to malpractice claims for negligently prescribing marijuana.
The Florida legislature created a program that allowed the use of non-smoked, low-THC marijuana for certain medical patients in 2014. It has been in effect since the beginning of 2015.
25 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted their own medical marijuana programs.
— Eric Revell
The Latest
-
Obama Endorses Kamala Harris as She Looks for a VPUpdated July 26, 2024 As her presidential campaign kicks off, Harris has been at the center of attacks and endorsements. The read more... Voting Rights
-
The Latest: Experts Fear the Spread of Polio in GazaUpdated July 26, 2024 The health crisis in Gaza continues to worsen as essential health services are severely compromised in the read more... Israel
-
IT: 🇺🇸 Biden ends 2024 re-election campaign, and... Do you support Kamala Harris as the 2024 Democratic nominee?Welcome to Monday, July 22nd, reporters... Joe Biden has announced he will end his candidacy for re-election. In a letter posted read more...
-
Quick Breakdown on Trump's VP Pick, JD VanceUpdated July 22, 2024 Last week, former President Donald Trump picked Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate . Vance, who read more... Advocacy