Ahead of a ballot measure in November legalizing medicinal marijuana in Florida, advocates on both sides of the issue are stating their case. Lee Republican Women Federated hosted a panel Monday to educate their members about the upcoming vote.
All three panelists agreed voters need to do their homework ahead of this November’s vote on Amendment Two. Laura Yard, an addiction physician, was the only panelist making the case for why voters should not vote in favor of the proposed amendment. She said it’s too broad.
“The fact that there is no specific regulation right now, there is no age limit, there is no limit to the amount of dispensaries,” she said. “They can be anyplace. So this is a very loose law. And isn’t—once again—medical marijuana. It’s just marijuana.”
But, Dr. Jonathon Daitch said this isn’t a law. He said the amendment only changes whether or not medical marijuana is allowed in the state. Daitch said if it passes, legislators will step in and regulate it.
He said a law passed by the Florida Legislature this year legalizing a strain of marijuana that helps children with seizure disorders is a good example of lawmakers setting effective regulations for medical marijuana.
“The reason that the Florida Legislature passed Charlotte’s Web is because they are under pressure,” she said. “They understand that the constituency wants medical marijuana and they took action. And so, we are already seeing medical marijuana being passed and appropriately being passed and taking appropriate steps.”
For the amendment was also Anthony Cincotti, a former Corrections Officer from Nevada. He suffered a spinal injury years ago that put him on a lot of painkillers and kept him bed-bound. He said the medical marijuana program in Nevada saved his life. Now, he lives in Cape Coral and is working to convince people to vote for Amendment Two.
“There’s real people out there with real issues and real suffering and this can alleviate that,” he said. “And to stand in the way of that, you are not anti-drug you are pro-suffering if you are standing in the way of Amendment Two.”
According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 88 percent of Florida voters support allowing adults to legally use marijuana for medical purposes.
