cannabisnews.com: A Medical Marijuana Face-Off
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A Medical Marijuana Face-Off
Posted by CN Staff on April 07, 2009 at 06:21:31 PT
By Anna Scott
Source: Herald-Tribune
Florida -- Marijuana is the only drug Cathy Jordan says helps her fight Lou Gehrig's disease. The 59-year-old mother smokes two joints every night to relieve depression and muscle spasms, and to boost her appetite."It's keeping me alive," said Jordan in an interview at her home in Parrish. "Anti-depressants made me a zombie and other drugs had bad side effects. The crime is that people like me can't get it legally."
Floridians could vote for the first time next year to allow marijuana for medical use. A petition drive, started last week by an Orlando woman whose father has Parkinson's disease, would make the drug legal for any condition as prescribed by a doctor.The last time such an organized effort to legalize marijuana occurred in Florida was 1997, just one year after California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana. But in Florida the petitioners fell hundreds of thousands of signatures short of getting to a state referendum.This time the movement faces some of the same roadblocks, such as opposition from law enforcement and a lack of support by the majority of the medical community.But the climate has become more favorable in ways that could shift the balance.A dozen other states have approved medical marijuana since Florida last tried to get it on the ballot, and four state legislatures are currently considering proposals.Federal law, while it has prohibited marijuana since 1937, is also shifting: Last month, Attorney General Eric Holder said the federal government would stop raiding marijuana distributors in states where it is legal.And Florida's proponents, People United For Medical Marijuana, hope they can make the argument that legalizing the drug could create tax revenue and jobs to lift the state economy. Kim Russell, the founder, suggested $200 million a year could be gained in tax revenue.In every state where medical marijuana has been on the ballot it has been successful, with the exception of South Dakota, where it barely lost with 48 percent of the vote. The challenge in Florida will be slightly steeper because the state requires a 60 percent majority vote.Getting the proposal on the ballot remains the biggest concern for proponents. The state political action group, People United for Medical Marijuana, needs to collect 676,811 signatures from registered voters in 10 months.Jordan and her husband, Bob, collected signatures back in 1997 on Manatee Avenue and said it was "nearly impossible" to get even 25 a day, and that many people were scared to sign their names to a document linking them to marijuana.Instead of relying on sick people or patient advocates to get the word out, Russell is focusing on college students and social networking Web sites such as Facebook -- a tactic that could either help mobilize a statewide army or provide an easy target for opponents.One of the main arguments against legalizing medical marijuana is that the effort is a veiled move to improve access to the drug for anyone who wants it. Bill Janes, director of Florida's Office of Drug Control, and the Florida Sheriff's Association have already come out against it."When we increase the availability of marijuana we increase the availability for young people," Janes said. "What this petition doesn't address is how the marijuana will be controlled. Will we just allow random growing of marijuana?"More than 4,800 people, many of them college students, have joined the Facebook page in support of the petition, which the Florida Division of Elections recently approved, and Russell said hundreds of students at campuses around the state have agreed to pass petitions. The campaign manager is Joshua Giesegh, a 20-year-old who said he is taking the year off from University of Central Florida to focus on marijuana advocacy. He is also a proponent of legalizing the drug for recreational use."I used to be one of those people who believed all the lies about marijuana that you learn in D.A.R.E," an antidrug program offered in schools, Giesegh said in a phone interview. "Then I watched my grandpa die of cancer. He wouldn't eat anything. I don't want anyone else to suffer like that."People United For Medical Marijuana is not affiliated with national or professional fundraising organizations, and Russell said raising money will be the biggest challenge. She estimates they need up to $5 million for advertising and administrative costs, declining to say how much has been raised so far.In the drive for signatures, state government leaders could potentially pose a threat, as they have generally grown less tolerant of marijuana. Last year the Legislature voted to strengthen laws against illegal growers. Janes said the tax revenue estimates by the petitioners were overblown and assumed use of the drug would become widespread.Florida's petition leaves it to the Legislature to decide how to regulate distribution and sale of the drug. While California's bare-bones law has led to what some critics say is overprescription of marijuana, more current laws, such as the one that recently passed in Michigan, have guidelines meant to ensure only the truly ill will be able to get it.In California, marijuana is sold in private shops called dispensaries. In other states patients with prescriptions for marijuana are required to carry ID cards, and it is only allowed to be grown by the patient or a designated caregiver.Medically speaking, studies have shown benefits from marijuana, particularly for glaucoma and tremors. It has also been shown to increase appetite and alleviate the nausea caused by cancer treatments.But the major medical associations have stopped short of endorsing it. The American Medical Association in November reconfirmed its decade-old policy that more research was needed. But it did assign a task force to take a closer look.Dr. Jameel Audeh, a Sarasota oncologist, said back in 1985 when he was in training, marijuana was one of the best ways to relieve nausea in cancer patients. But now there are legal drugs he said work as well, including a legalized pill containing a synthetic version of the ingredient found in marijuana, THC. The potential health problems caused by marijuana, such as lung damage, outweigh the need for it, Audeh said."For cancer patients, this would only be needed for a very narrow group, if anyone, and I'm not sure that justifies making it legal because of all the other problems it would cause," Audeh said.A terminally ill cancer patient in Sarasota, who asked not to be identified because he does not want to be targeted by police, believes marijuana has kept him alive two years longer than doctors expected. He does not grow it himself because of the risk of getting caught.Instead he relies on gifts from friends or dealers who charge up to $100 a week. Mainly the drug helps with his mood and appetite, he said. The cancer started in his esophagus and spread to his lungs, stomach and liver. When smoking marijuana became painful because it made him cough, a friend made a vaporizer from a heat gun and a plastic bag."Cancer is a fight against appetite and keeping weight on," he said in an interview at his home. "If you can keep the weight on you can stay alive longer."To anyone who thinks it should be illegal, he urges compassion. He is 61 and has two children. At just over 5-foot-10, he weighs only 145 pounds."It gives me a quality of life I wouldn't have without it."This story appeared in print on page A1The PAC’s Web site is -- http://www.pufmm.orgSource: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)Author: Anna ScottPublished: Monday, April 6, 2009 - Page A1Copyright: 2009 Sarasota Herald-TribuneContact: editor.letters herald-trib.comWebsite: http://www.heraldtribune.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/vhXi52D4Related Article:PAC Pushes for MMJ in FLAhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24682.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #24 posted by rchandar on April 09, 2009 at 09:45:32 PT:
Vincent
That's not true! Re Cubans a lot started changing during the 1992 elections. I was at FIU at the time, and it was the first time I saw a lot of Cuban kids embracing the Democratic Party. Depends, though: I think now there's a lot more individual choice, where your lifestyle, job, and outlook are increasingly more important than "where you came from."As an outsider, that's how I see it. Places like Westchester and the city tend to be more Democratic, places like Kendall and south of there more Republican. Change came to us, too: Indians, traditionally, have always been solidly Republican. But that started changing with Clinton, and now Obama--a lot more young people went Democratic. There isn't really a climate where either party can "rely" on ethnic votes. I always felt Obama was simply better for the job. Though I've always voted Democratic to be sure, I see similarities with Clinton: diversity, modern economy, and secularism.It was a welcome change. As a kid, I used to hate Cubans because they voted Republican. No other reason. I guess I was glad to discover that I was wrong.--rchandar
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Comment #23 posted by Vincent on April 08, 2009 at 20:38:36 PT:
rchander on the Latin vote
You said that "Latin Dems" are of the younger generation. That depends on what you mean by Latino. If you are talking about Mexicans or Puerto Ricans--many of them are of mixed ancestry (White and Indian). So, having been discriminated against by white folks, who are generally Republican, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans have always tended to vote for Democrats. But Florida is home to a large Cuban population, and although there are many bi-racial Cubans in Cuba, most of the Cubans who came here after Castro came to power were middle and upper-middle class Whites (fact). They are, by and large, Republicans. Perhaps the younger generation will be more liberal. 
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Comment #22 posted by rchandar on April 08, 2009 at 12:42:24 PT:
Had Enough
I'm afraid I don't buy this one. Clinton got screwed royally in 94, that's true, but upset voters defaulted on elections for about 40 congressional seats that time.Naturally, many Republicans are weighing the potential for political rebirth--naturally. But I'd say that the verdict is out about the fate of Congress. I don't see great enthusiasm on either side, because both sides are blaming each other for the economic debacle.Do I see another "Contract For America"? I have no reason to believe so, at least in 2010. The kind of moral revolution that happened in 94 was likely, an extension of the Reagan-Bush Sr. years. The current picture is that Bush Jr.'s relative mandate caused corruption and arrogance, which befell them.Still, the concern is reasonable: by the end of the summer, a clearer sense of how well the Obama Administration worked will be political center-stage. A lot of people on "their" side like Bobby Jindal, though I won't vote for him, even though I am Indian. It's more than that: I live in Louisiana currently, and can tell you that the post-Katrina recovery has been very uneven and incomplete. Nothing against the guy, he's done his job. But the facts are simple: Louisiana is still very much struggling, and his tenure has been three years already.--rchandar
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Comment #21 posted by rchandar on April 08, 2009 at 12:33:05 PT:
josephlacerenza
Well, that's simply not true--at least in South Florida. A large percentage of senior citizens here, particularly Jewish-Americans, are staunchly Democratic. Add to that Black seniors, and sometimes Latinos--though most Latin Dems are the younger generation. 
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Comment #20 posted by rchandar on April 08, 2009 at 09:10:09 PT:
josephlacerenza
Yes, you're right. It's NOT a progressive state, despite the image projected. Far from it.But there's no doubt in my mind that it COULD BE a progressive state--if we earn a few victories on social policy, then sustain them. Florida, for example, ranks very low in education. Bottomed out by only the poorest Southern states. And yet--it's a financial bedrock, a center of business, institutions, and culture. It has always had the potential to match the prog states. North Florida has continuously trampled on this possibility.One stat, from my memory: casino gambling. Now this would be appropriate, right (okay, it has nothing to do with being 'progressive'--I admit that). But Florida? Gateway to the Caribbean, and South America? This measure could earn the state Treasury about $2-3 billion annually. But it has never been passed. It's appropriate, for the heavily touristized lifestyle, the immense diversity, etc. etc. But North Florida won't have it. They'd rather people would travel to far away places like Biloxi, or Las Vegas.Who could beat Miami in popularizing such a culture? But it won't happen, never will. We have a better shot at MMJ simply because there are so many seniors here who could live healthier.--rchandar
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Comment #19 posted by Had Enough on April 08, 2009 at 07:36:33 PT
Florida could be the next medical marijuana state 
Florida could be the next medical marijuana state 
Organizers around Florida ready to collect signatures The Florida Division of Elections has approved a petition that may place a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot that would allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. People United For Medical Marijuana has received approval to circulate a petition to place this issue before Florida voters in 2010. This amendment would give patients the right to grow, purchase, posses and obtain marijuana for medical treatment. According to medical reports there are more than 1.7 million seriously ill people in the state of Florida that could benefit from marijuana's medicinal properties. The uses for this medicine range from pain relief to stopping the spread of breast cancer. It has also been shown to facilitate stem cell implantation. Marijuana can be used to treat Alzheimer's, arthritis, cancer, glaucoma, Parkinson's and other conditions. "Patients need a safe, affordable, and effective medication. We hope Florida will lead the nation in marijuana research to further its uses as a medicine." said Kim Russell, chairman of People United For Medical Marijuana. Medical marijuana has documented history leading back 5,000 years. It could legally be used up until 1970 when the federal government said it had "no current accepted medical use" through the Controlled Substance Act. Within eight years of this act, a program was established to provide select patients medical marijuana. The Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program is still operating today, but accepts no new patients. more…http://fortmyers.floridaweekly.com/news/2009/0408/top_news/020.html
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Comment #18 posted by tintala on April 07, 2009 at 22:48:26 PT:
3.4 million ppl in jail for non-violent crimes 
3.4 million ppl in cages, behind bars in good ole AMERICA.For non violent crimes/drugs, that is more than all countries combined. The money used , wasted, burned on incarcerating ppl, prohibtion would buy EVERYONE in the usa health insurance.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 21:06:18 PT
The GCW
I like end the prohibition of cannabis. They ended alcohol prohibition. 
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Comment #16 posted by The GCW on April 07, 2009 at 21:02:32 PT
Acknowledge another facet of activism.
The movement We are part of has different facets. The credible drug law reform movement.Exactly what that is is different to different people.The facets include but are not limited to:*Re-legalizing cannabis and it family of substances, only.*Decriminalizing cannabis...*Legalizing all drugs.I understand the arguments for the most part and agree with them for the most part but the one I identify with the most is to completely Re-legalize cannabis and it's family of substances.The problem is, there are groups calling for decriminalization of cannabis, which is not in Our interest.Decriminalization may be used as a ploy to stop the tide of change that includes complete Re-legalization of cannabis etc.Instead, comeplete Re-legalization of cannabis should be used to stop the tide of change that includes legalizing all drugs.Cannabis activists, North American wide, should oraganize and fight against decriminalization as not good enough.Cannabis isn't something to be decriminalized.Cannabis is something that should be respected.It should be: ::: The country better Re-legalize cannabis or maybe face legalizing all hard drugs along with the plant cannabis.*What I fear is happening is:::Support cannabis decriminalization or face cannabis Re-legalization.***CANNABIS ACTIVISTS MUST RECOGNIZE THAT LESS THAN IDEAL MOVEMENT AND TAKE CONTROL TO ELIMINATE IT.***-0-As far as legalizing all drugs...I'd be comfortable finding a way to quit caging people using and having involvement with hard drugs, but I believe the hard drug problem and it's demand will diminish with cannabis Re-legalization.I don't think We must legalize hard drugs.I don't think We must make heroin, coke, meth, morphine, crack, LSD etc. etc. available at the corner store.And I don't buy the arguement that We are not free unless We allow those substances to sell at the corner store.I have mixed feelings about legalizing all drugs; I agree with some of the arguments... it may fix some ills, but...I don't think We MUST legalize hard drugs.Just the plant.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 20:34:35 PT
The GCW 
For all reasons. I agree. 
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Comment #14 posted by The GCW on April 07, 2009 at 20:22:24 PT
For all reasons.
End cannabis prohibition for any and all reasons.I don't want to be cornered into the credible moral or the credible economic reasons etc..Ending cannabis prohibition doesn't hinge on economic reasoning. If someone doesn't believe it will fix or help the economy or doesn't care if it fixes / helps, they still want it prohibited..., then the moral argument may work better to help the prohibitionist let go.Regardless of the credible economic reasons, end cannabis for moral reasons.Of course Re-legalizing cannabis will surely help the economy. There are so many factors though, it is complex and requires many fixes and cannabis is only one of a combination that is needed.The concept of cannabis completly fixing the economy is real and it might but I don't think it is the magic bullet.Ending Can. Pro. doesn't have to completely fix it, it only needs to help. And there is no question it can and will do that.-0-The other way around works too.Ending cannabis prohibition doesn't hinge on the moral argument. If someone doesn't connect with the moral implications... then maybe they will identify with the cost factor.Other people will relate to wanting to protect their children from the vampires.Other people will think of freedom issues.Ecologic issues are important; think hemp.Safety reasons are important; it will help keep citizens from becoming addicted to hard drugs. -see: US WA: PUB LTE: Criminalizing Marijuana Sends Dangerous Message http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n396/a08.html?1105 It's also a matter of inteligence. Supporting cannabis prohibition is just plain dumb and ignorant.Etc. In speaking to the prohibitionist, it is helpful to know some backround to convey the best argument, since time and attention span is usually a factor.When I get the chance, I enjoy helping people realize supporting cannabis prohibition makes them appear ignorant and unattractive.It is much more important to look good than to feel good.Any way You look at it, supporting or enabeling cannabis prohibition, persecution and extermination is foolish.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 16:57:42 PT
Kapt
I looked at the link but I really haven't followed isms very well. Freedom isn't something I have ever believed anyone in any country has ever had completely. It's a wonderful word but it's just a word. We conform to many things thruout our lives. That means somewhere along the line we give up a small piece of our own personal freedom. That happens over and over again in our lives. The more crowded the world becomes the less individual rights people will have.
I don't think anyone wants a totally chaotic world to live in. We do have one Freedom and that is the Internet.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 16:41:16 PT
Kapt
That is very interesting. The only thing that gets attention when I talk to people is the moral implications of the drug war. No one talks about money but issues only. It probably is because each of us gravitates to what is important to us as individuals and hangs around people of like mind. That's why I believe we need a perfect storm to cover all the different ways of approaching the drug war in general.
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Comment #11 posted by kaptinemo on April 07, 2009 at 16:22:55 PT:
FoM, I agree...to a point
As a proponent of cognitive liberty, the idea of someone saying to me "Think in this way, and only in this way!" is about as abhorrent as it gets, for if that kind of thing is not challenged it always leads to disaster.But, and I truly hate to say this, IMHO the 'Average American' has lost an understanding that the essence of freedom is thought, and the freedom to think differently is at the core of that. From that freedom flow others, which are more concrete, such as being able to ingest any thing you want to without fear of punishment from The State.Nope, Joe Sixpack already thinks he's free...just as did many citizens of the Third Reich http://tinyurl.com/hk6nz But run afoul of the myriad of laws that actually restrict that freedom, and the Matrix-like reality pounces upon you, ruining your life with infinite ease...as the drug laws do, daily"Freedom' as opposed to real freedom is a philosophical argument that Joe doesn't want to engage in. But if there's one thing that impacts Joe in an immediate and unmistakable way, is money...and most especially, the lack of it.This is why I don't couch my arguments with non-reformers using freedoms lost as a rationale for changing the drug laws; I usually receive a dull look, a shrug, or worse, a cynical smirk that denotes someone who'd sell his - and my - freedom for a bowl of government-supplied slop in a heartbeat.No, I talk money. And as soon as I do, the lights go on in the eyes. Sad, but I suppose in every civilization, this was the norm.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 15:41:13 PT
Kapt: A Perfect Storm
I think the drug war is immoral. I don't think of money but of injustice. I approach the drug war from a social perspective not a monetary one. It takes all reasons to make a perfect storm. We are getting closer everyday. I want our political leaders to look at this issue from a humanitarian point of view. We need all ideas together to change our direction to a better way I believe.
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Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on April 07, 2009 at 15:10:48 PT:
Red or Blue, all are governed by the green
As in the color of money.The economy is like a freight train; once it builds up steam, it's hard to stop. It has an inertia that is dangerous to get in front of. But when what powers it has that power reduced, it inevitably begins to slow down. And when what powers it is shut off? The same, in spades.That's what's happening, right now. And the DrugWar is intimately linked to the economy. The economy powered the DrugWar. And the economy can no longer afford to do so. Like anything in motion when the power is cut off, if it retains its' 'mass', the slowness will continue at a steady pace until it stops. But get rid of extra 'mass', the 'extra baggage, and you can coast a little longer. The 'extra baggage' of the economy is the DrugWar...and a lot of folks around the country and the world are beginning to realize that fact...and are calling for exactly that, to dump the extra baggage.So, just like alcohol Prohibition before it, drug prohibition is being weighed in the balance and found to be fiscally 'wanting'. And in these tight times, with people in desperate need of the funds that have been and continue to be wasted in the DrugWar, the DrugWarriors will soon find themselves having to explain to people who are becoming increasingly needy of that money as to why they can't have it.A brick with wings would have as much chance of flying as will their explanations. So, Red State or Blue State, it will make little difference in the end. The color of money is green, and Uncle will want that green as tax revenues to fund the Gub'mint. Re-legalizing cannabis and hemp, and taxing production and consumption is a sure way of generating that much needed revenue. And that kind of pragmatism is why alcohol Prohibition ended...as will cannabis prohibition.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 11:36:47 PT
josephlacerenza 
Ohio turned blue this past election and we now have a Democrat as Governor. Red States are really hard to get change to happen. More states turned blue this past election. If we can keep seeing more blue states we will see change. For way too many years many states were red. Florida is blue now but it still has a Republican Governor. 
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Comment #7 posted by josephlacerenza on April 07, 2009 at 10:20:55 PT
FoM
That is the feeling I get. I do not see it as a progressive state. But, I live in Montana, and at times it does not seem progressive. Although the population is less than a million, so change can happen faster then when the good ol' boys are in charge. 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 09:46:19 PT
josephlacerenza
The older population and the fact it seems there are a lot of Republicans in Florida makes it a hard state for change. Anyone older then the Woodstock generation would be against it mostly since most people that old never came into contact with marijuana or other illegal drugs.
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Comment #5 posted by josephlacerenza on April 07, 2009 at 09:39:21 PT
Just A Question
Can we look at this movement as how the old, because of the large retired population in Florida, are taking the topic of drug law reform? There are a lot of old fuddy duddies in Florida from all over the East Coast. Can we also use it to gauge the East Coasts stance on marijuana drug law reform? Or, can we just right them off as the old way of looking at the problems of the Drug War if it does not pass?
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Comment #4 posted by rchandar on April 07, 2009 at 09:29:49 PT:
Florida
I have no other qualification to address this one, except that I grew up in Florida from childhood on. Here's what people here see:--Drugs are a sensationalized, dangerous, and sexy component of the Floridian lifestyle. "Miami Vice," and now, "CSI Miami". The stranglehold of dozens of foreign-originated mafias is very powerful, the good citizenry in a continuous state of outrage over crime. Politicians, in short, have earned virtually unchallenged election by campaigning on crime, from the 1980s onward. We take this threat to our children and homes very seriously, even though we're basically wrong to label drugs as the universal culprit.There are a lot of people who smoke in Florida, but it's mostly under the table, very quiet at times. Cops have made many high-profile arrests and enjoy extending that to small-time dealers and buyers, because the promotion is easy. So far, we have not won over the stigma, but......the simple fact is, Florida's economy would benefit enormously. It's a state with 2 million retirees--how many of them could medicate themselves better with pot? How much money could be earned in revenue from the taxes? Florida's illegal drug market is saturated--it's not going anywhere. Cops and pols will scream that drug use will become a greater problem. Citizens will throw up their hands and say, "see, I told you so. What about that job in Wyoming?" The two main questions on the mind of voters will be: 1) how do I control this, keep drug use from expanding to my corner of the world? and 2) how will this measure improve the economy, and maybe the quality of life in my state? 60% is formidable: it means that about 1.2 million votes would have to cast in favor. Therefore, as soon as the petition makes it onto the ballot, we should all help in a big campaign with continuous media interventions. The message a Florida "yes" vote has great and wonderful consequences: it's a southern state, can we wrench it from the Repubs? Can we extend a more liberal public policy to our mostly city-dwelling population, even though the Florida Legislature, controlled by North Florida Republicans, has been usually insensitive to the daily concerns of the majority of the state, which resides in Miami, Orlando, Tampa? And--who will really benefit from this move, the growers/traffickers or people with real illnesses that pot can help with? Such a ballot victory would, naturally, be a big victory for the DNC and the Obama Administration. Even though, we can guarantee, neither will put that much muscle in support of it.--rchandar
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 09:26:38 PT
Had Enough
I know. Sorry about that. I hope it does pass.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 07, 2009 at 09:25:43 PT
Had Enough
What do you think will happen in 2010? 
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Comment #1 posted by Had Enough on April 07, 2009 at 08:39:59 PT
You think Obama got the young people to vote? 
You think Obama got the young people to vote? Just wait 'til 2010.TAKE THE POLL: http://www.naplesnews.com/polls/2009/apr/marijuana-legal/results/Florida residents with debilitating illnesses may have the option of treating their pain and symptoms with marijuana if Florida becomes the next state to allow its use for medicinal purposes.A petition is circulating now for signatures to potentially place a constitutional amendment on the November 2010 ballot posing the issue of allowing the seriously ill to use marijuana for medical treatment.The Florida Division of Elections last week approved the petition for the political action committee proposing the amendment, People United for Medical Marijuana, to start collecting voters’ signatures.“Our first threshold is to get close to 68,000 signatures to give to the (Florida) Supreme Court for their approval,” said Kim Russell, founder and chairwoman of the committee. “By Feb. 1, we must have 700,000 signatures.”Russell, a stay-at-home mother who lives in Orlando became involved in the cause because of her father’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Marijuana can stop the further degeneration associated with the illness.She is confident enough registered Florida voters will sign the petition necessary to get the amendment question on the ballot. The group also hopes to raise $5 million to promote the cause.The petition language says nobody would be deprived or penalized for the cultivation, purchase, use or possession of marijuana in connection with the treatment of diseases or illnesses when recommended by a physician.Supporters tried in 1998 to get a medical marijuana question on the ballot but it didn’t make it. At that time, Florida Police Chiefs Association and other groups said campaigns are couched as a compassionate plea for the sick and dying but is really designed to be a foothold for a bigger objective of full blown legalization of marijuana.The police chief’s association has not addressed the latest petition and will not revisit it now, according to Amy Mercer, a spokeswoman for the association. If it does become a legislative issue, then the group will take it up again.Meanwhile, the association’s 1998 position against medical marijuana still stands, she said.Russell says misconceptions about marijuana for medicinal purposes can be blamed on the federal government labeling it decades ago as a Schedule 1 drug with no medicinal value. Instead, it was lumped together with other drugs such as LSD and cocaine.“It’s been proven time and time again to have lots of medicinal uses,” she said.According to the political action committee, there are 1.7 million seriously ill people in Florida who could benefit from marijuana to provide relief from pain, stop the spread of breast cancer, treat arthritis, glaucoma and other conditions. In Parkinson’s patients, it stops tremors and prevents further deterioration.The American Medical Association last December at a House of Delegates meeting in Orlando “referred for study” proposed action to support reclassifying of marijuana and urge law enforcement agencies to stop prosecuting doctors and patients in medical marijuana states.The Florida Medical Association in 1997 endorsed medical marijuana when the issue was in California and recanted the position shortly afterward, Russell said. A spokesman for the FMA on Friday could not say what the association’s current position is on medical marijuana.The rest…http://free.naplesplus.us/articles/view.php/44415/florida-people-united-for-medical-marijuana-collecting-signatures-for-2010-election
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