Pubdate: Fri, 26 Sep 2014
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Copyright: 2014 Orlando Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/325
Note: Rarely prints out-of-state LTEs.
Author: Darryl E. Owens, Editorial Writer
Note: Introduces two OPEDs

AMENDMENT 2: GOOD FOR FLORIDA?

Talk about reefer madness. Trying to gauge Floridians' support for 
Amendment 2, Use of Marijuana for Certain Medical Conditions - on 
which voters will have their say in November - based on the myriad 
crazily vacillating polls is truly mind-bending.

In May, a Quinnipiac poll found that 88 percent of Florida voters 
backed the medicinal use of marijuana. That's up a tick from a 
November 2013 poll that recorded 82 percent support.

Yet, this month, a SurveyUSA/ WFLA poll suggests Quinnipiac should 
recalibrate its abacus. That poll found that a mere 53 percent of 
probable voters back the measure, which would decriminalize the 
curative use of marijuana as recommended by a licensed Florida doctor.

While the polling numbers on the amendment - which requires a 60 
percent supermajority to carry - remain squishy, the two sides of the 
issue stand firm.

Critics of Amendment 2 say medical marijuana is a wolf in a white 
coat. As one of today's columnists argues, the proposal gives doctors 
too much leeway and lacks adequate oversight. And contrary to the 
impression it leaves, marijuana isn't a traditional therapeutic drug.

Boosters, while branding such concerns as hysterical, shift the focus 
to marijuana's purported therapeutic pain-relieving benefits. That's 
why our second columnist argues Florida should become the first 
Southern state to legalize it.

[sidebar]

Surveys say ...

57 percent of Floridians will vote yes on Amendment 2, according to a 
poll conducted by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

64 percent of registered voters support Amendment 2, notes a recent 
Gravis Marketing poll.

69 percent of Florida voters back Amendment 2, according to the 
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research group.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom