Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jan 2014
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2014 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/mVLAxQfA
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159

FLORIDA MEDICAL MARIJUANA: LEGALIZE IT

Legalizing medical marijuana in Florida will be decided by voters in
November, thanks to a favorable state Supreme Court decision delivered
this week.

To make it from pipe dream to reality, however, proponents still must
meet a steep requirement: Convincing 60 percent of voters statewide to
punch "yes" on the ballot.

But no matter what happens in the election nine months from now,
Florida lawmakers should act to legalize a new form of pot that offers
no drug-induced high, but plenty of relief for seriously ill children.

The time for medical marijuana, in one form or another, has come for
Florida. This is not about legalizing recreational pot. Period. This
is not about Florida becoming the first state in the South to legalize
medical marijuana.

And this is not about offering a backdoor for sprouting crops of pot
dispensaries. Nobody wants the Californiacation of Florida, where
anyone with a-wink, wink- allergy or other mild condition can apply
and win a right-to-use medical card. Nobody wants to see rows of
retail pot dispensaries lining our beach fronts or strip malls.

This is about taking advantage of best medical practices to provide
real, in-reach relief for suffering patients.

And in Florida, this issue is about something called Charlotte's Web.
The strain of light weed is a miracle come true for families of truly
ill children; it can help stop kids' seizures.

Think about Seth Hyman. The Weston father has an 8- year-old
daughter, Rebecca. Her tiny body is struck by dozens of seizures daily.

Hyman was among a group of parents who made the trek to Tallahassee
earlier this month to testify before the House Subcommittee on
Criminal Justice about the benefits of Charlotte's Web. That day
lawmakers became aware of a version of intractable epilepsy that
cannot be controlled by traditional medications. But for kids like
Rebecca, caught up in the grip of a cruel disease, Charlotte's Web
helps by halting the seizures.

"We want to be on the right side of history and medicine," Rep. Katie
Edwards, D- Plantation, told the Sun Sentinel after the subcommittee
hearing. "The work begins today to take into account the pleas of
people all around the state to do something and do it quickly, to make
sure these individuals can gain access to the safest treatment without
playing politics or hiding behind antiquated arguments."

Edwards is now sponsoring a bill that legalizes, for medical use,
marijuana strains low in THC. Edwards also calls for both tight
regulation and for research and development of the promising marijuana
strain at a Florida state university- a smart move considering the
role medical marijuana has already begun to play nationally. Twenty
states now legalize medical marijuana. In Florida, pot medicine has a
tough battle before it. The Supreme Court decision was great news for
proponents. The justices approved the ballot language 4- 3, after
deciding it was clear and met legal requirements.

The losers include Gov. Rick Scott, House Speaker Will Weatherford,
Attorney General Pam Bondi and others who have lined up against
medical marijuana. Bondi argued before the court that the ballot
language was misleading and allows too much leeway for doctors to
approve medical usage.

Winners include John Morgan, the Orlando attorney who spent $ 4
million on a marijuana petition drive. And whose law firm employs
Charlie Crist.

Other winners include gubernatorial candidates Crist and Nan Rich, who
back medical marijuana. Political experts expect the ballot measure to
draw large numbers of Democrats and others sympathetic with the cause.
Some believe those voters could cost Scott his re- election.

But the political calculus is cold, considering the stakes and impacts
are much bigger here.

Imagine your child's best chances at relieving pain that deprives them
of comfort, peace and much-need rest was in medical marijuana.

It's tough to get 60 percent of voters to agree on anything. The fate
of Charlotte's Web- and buzz-free medical marijuana-shouldn't be
tied to what happens in the next election.

Rep. Edwards is leading the way. Her fellow lawmakers should jump on
the wagon and legalize low-grade medical pot for children.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D