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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom