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NO ON AMENDMENT 2: PROFITS DRIVE PUSH FOR MARIJUANA

I have followed with great interest the letters concerning Amendment 2, which if passed would legalize marijuana - a substance that is listed as a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency.  This means that it has no proven medical benefits, is addictive and harmful to humans.

There is now an effort by a group of individuals.  Some act with pure motives, wanting to alleviate the suffering of those with cancer or intractable seizures.  Then there are others who will seek profit under the guise of helping humanity.  The state of Florida, if Amendment 2 is passed, will be legalizing a drug delivered by smoking, an incongruity that is incompatible with the principals of public health.

As the former surgeon general of Florida, I know only too well the consequences of inappropriate use of any drug.  In 2011, there were 8-10 deaths a day in Florida from prescription drugs.  Out of the top 100 prescribing doctors for oxycodone in the country, 98 resided in Florida.  So called "pain clinics," manned by physicians who would sell their souls for a pittance, sprang up across Florida and dispensed powerful narcotics - charging $200-$300 for an office visit.  Word quickly spread that a person could visit several of these "pain clinics" in a day, get multiple prescriptions for narcotics and resell them at great profit.  It was only after the Florida Legislature, law enforcement agencies and the Office of the Surgeon General of Florida acted that this scourge was controlled.

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