Pubdate: Sun, 15 Jun 2014
Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL)
Copyright: 2014 The Gainesville Sun
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/yMmn4Ifw
Website: http://www.gainesville.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/163

SCARE TACTICS ON POT

A proposed state constitutional amendment that would legalize medical 
marijuana has loopholes that might lead to abuses, but opponents are 
using distortions and scare tactics to try to defeat the measure.

Opponents last week launched the "Don't Let Florida Go to Pot" 
campaign. Campaign backers including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, 
president of the Florida Sheriffs Association, and Alachua County 
Sheriff Sadie Darnell also had an editorial board meeting with The Sun.

Judd called the amendment "the great fraud of 2014," saying it was a 
way to legalize marijuana under the guise of medicine. Darnell said 
the amendment is a "total scam and it will ruin our state if passed."

It would be easier to take opponents' concerns seriously if they 
didn't use such over-the-top rhetoric. The wording of the amendment 
and experience of other states does raise concerns about unintended 
consequences. But rather than advocating alternatives, opponents are 
fighting to retain the status quo of a war on drugs that has lost 
public support due to its fiscal and social costs.

The amendment's ballot summary states it "allows for the medical use 
of marijuana for individuals with debilitating diseases as determined 
by a licensed Florida physician." The longer language of the 
amendment lists specific diseases such as AIDS and cancer, but also 
allows for marijuana to be prescribed for "other conditions for which 
a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely 
outweigh the potential health risks for a patient."

Most of the 20 other states with medical marijuana laws have a 
limited list of conditions and allow for a state board or other group 
to add to the list. Florida's proposed amendment is, by that measure, 
more lenient and could allow unscrupulous physicians to prescribe 
marijuana for dubious conditions.

But other parts of the amendment would be stricter than other states, 
such as not allowing for patients to grow their own pot. The Florida 
amendment would require the state health department to regulate a 
dispensary network.

While opponents claim the Florida measure would lead to the 
widespread dispensaries seen in California, that state's marijuana 
law is different in that it leaves regulations up to local 
municipalities. Under the Florida measure, the state health 
department's duties would include regulating the issuance of 
identification cards for patients and testing and safety procedures 
for dispensaries.

Despite what opponents say, minors would not have free rein to get 
medical marijuana under the amendment. It defers to Florida law that 
requires a parent or guardian to provide consent for a minor to get 
medical treatment except in rare circumstances.

While opponents rightly say patients could get marijuana without a 
prescription, the amendment requires a physician certification that 
is essentially the same thing but called something different to 
comply with federal law.

Clearly there needs to be an education process about the amendment 
and The Sun plans to be part of that effort. It would be helpful if 
opponents would stick to the facts in outlining some legitimate 
reasons for concern with the amendment, rather than depicting 
doomsday scenarios.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom