Medical marijuana headed to Florida ballot after Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision

[Redfairen]

Source: Miami Herald

A Florida constitutional amendment calling for medical marijuana will be decided by Florida voters in November now that the state Supreme Court ruled Monday that the proposed initiative and ballot summary aren't misleading.

"Voters are given fair notice as to the chief purpose and scope of the proposed amendment, which is to allow a restricted use of marijuana for certain ― debilitating medical conditions," the court said in a 4-3 ruling in which conservative justices and one moderate dissented.

"We conclude that the voters will not be affirmatively misled regarding the purpose of the proposed amendment because the ballot title and summary accurately convey the limited use of marijuana, as determined by a licensed Florida physician," the court ruled.

If the amendment passes — it takes 60 percent of the vote to do that in Florida —the state would become the 21st to decriminalize marijuana for medical use, though marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.



Read more: http://m.miamiherald.com/mh/db_42928/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=jtsKxpb5

[secondvariety]

1. Good news.

I'm sure those "things" that occupy the legislature and the Governor's mansion are hard at work trying to derail the amendment.

[SorellaLaBefana]

2. Prohibition of Alcohol under the Volstead Act of 1920 succeeded as well as has the War on Drugs.

Prohibition of Alcohol under the Volstead Act of 1920 succeeded in giving organized crime a firm grip on city, county and state governments.

It was finally recognized as a failure which made criminals of ordinary citizens, and which gave actual criminals a national presence and organization which they had not previously enjoyed. It was repealed after 13 years.

Sadly, the same misguided sense has remained the policy of the United States up until this past year when a few cracks in the edifice of the government war on drugs - really the government war on black people - have finally appeared with two states realizing that continued prohibition of marijuana is not only senseless, but damaging and destructive of society.

This realization has come too late to rebuild millions of lives adversely impacted by the War On Drugs. It has also come too late to have prevented the control of drug cartels from rising to the national level.

Where the prohibition of alcohol corrupted state and local governments, the prohibition of marijuana (and other natural drugs) has corrupted national governments world-wide, including our own. There is just too much unaccountable money floating about for any government to remain untainted.

The War On Drugs has proven to not only be a war on American citizens, on non-white poor citizens in particular, but a war on the very nature and fabric of our government. In this latter aim it has succeeded.

However this savage assault on our citizens has done absolutely nothing to decrease the demand for drugs. No more than did Prohibition prevent people from drinking.

Time to decriminalize all drugs: After all, when drugs are outlawed, only outlaws will have drugs!

[madfloridian]

3. Glad to hear that. But very surprised. SC in FL very conservative.

[Native]

4. Seriously?

The opposition is worried that docs will be writing prescriptions for teething toddlers? Lord.

[Kingofalldems]

5. Kick and Rec.

[davidpdx]

6. Interesting that Florida has a high percentage threshold for constitutional amendments

In Oregon it is 50% to pass, but more signatures are required to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

I'd think it would be easier to get more signatures with the lower vote threshold to pass something like this.

[secondvariety]

7. The legislature

raised the percentage to pass several years ago. Apparently, they weren't getting the results they wanted. I wouldn't put it past them to try to raise it again.

[Democat]

9. If it's too easy, you could end up with problems like California

The people elect representatives, and there should be a way to intervene directly, but you can't run the entire state by popular vote.

[RantinRavin]

10. Actually it was a Constitutional Amendment that raised it

Approved by voters in 2006

Proposes an amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the State Constitution to require that any proposed amendment to or revision of the State Constitution, whether proposed by the Legislature, by initiative, or by any other method, must be approved by at least 60 percent of the voters of the state voting on the measure, rather than by a simple majority. This proposed amendment would not change the current requirement that a proposed constitutional amendment imposing a new state tax or fee be approved by at least 2/3 of the voters of the state voting in the election in which such an amendment is considered.

[secondvariety]

11. Didn't know that.

I figured it was Tallahassee just doing their their typical dance of over stepping their bounds.

[DeSwiss]

8. K&R

Families migrating to Colorado for a medical marijuana miracle

Bill aims to legalize medical marijuana use in Tenn

Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced in West Virginia

[Tippy]

12. It looks like TN will follow soon