Pubdate: Fri, 05 Sep 2014
Source: Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL)
Copyright: 2014 Craig B. McKee
Contact:  http://www.theledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/795
Author: Craig B. McKee

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Ledger is to be commended for providing a public forum to openly
discuss the issue of legalizing medical (not recreational) marijuana
in Florida. It is a lesson in public governance and rhetorical
discourse unlike no other in recent memory and deserves to be a part
of every high school social studies, American government and perhaps
even English class in the entire state. I am writing simply to share
two sources that I have found to be especially thought-provoking on
the subject.

The first is "Money, Not Morals, Drives Marijuana Prohibition
Movement" from the Center for Responsive Politics 
(www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/08/money-not-morals-drives-marijuana-prohibition-movement).

It's curious to see law enforcement actually teaming up with the
alcohol and beer industry, as well as mega-pharmaceutical companies,
to combat what they perceive as the biggest threat against all of
their bottom lines to come down the pike since they began
losing/stoking/lobbying for the so-called war on drugs.

A second resource is Project LEAP (Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition), which demonstrates that not all police agencies have
adopted positions ranging from the hysteria depicted in cult film
classic "Reefer Madness" to a more Chicken Little "Sky is Falling"
attitude (www.leap.cc).

Now that abortion and gay marriage have failed to maintain the
conservative right's chokehold on scare tactics to goad the registered
voters of Florida to the polls in November, it looks as though
marijuana legalization is the new hot-button issue.

Unlike the aforementioned issues, however, we should not lose sight of
the fact that there has never been as much economic power at play, and
the most vocal "shareholders" on both sides of this debate should be
cautiously evaluated for ways they will either gain or lose
financially from whatever the voters decide.

It may just turn out to be the missing piece, which explains why they
are saying what they are saying in public.

CRAIG B. McKEE

Lakeland
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D