Pubdate: Sat, 18 Oct 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. Page: A14 POT AMENDMENT: VOTE NO The stories are heart wrenching. There's the heroic lifeguard who dove into disaster trying to rescue a swimmer. Now, brief respites from relentless pain and ruthless spasms come only through pot-infused edibles. Then there's the 60-ish wheelchair-user who grows her own cannabis to combat the indelicate drooling, face-numbing, and other withering dysfunction of deadly ALS. And there's the lawbreaker-turned-lawmaker. He procured pot for a dying friend who longed to stomach his last meals. The obliging friend - current Republican Senate President Don Gaetz - granted his friend a dying wish and dignity, scoring the illicit drug in obedience of a higher law - compassion. Compassion's the thread that knits dreadful stories told by advocates of Amendment 2. The proposal, on the Nov. 4 ballot, would alter the state constitution, permitting doctors to recommend marijuana for patients with debilitating conditions. Advocates say the stories demonstrate the power of marijuana to work miracles absent the sometimes deadly and addictive results of powerful prescription painkillers Yet, at its heart, Amendment 2 is a populist appeal, a heartfelt call for compassion. One that would be codified in the state constitution should 60 percent of Floridians vote yes. And therein lies the rub. Compassion is a shiny EKG of pulsing humanity. However, it often proves a shaky rudder for governance. And this compassion play is no exception. Certainly, marijuana, in some cases, may prove the proper medicine. However, legalizing it through a constitutional amendment is the wrong prescription. Advocates note 23 states and the District of Columbia endorse medical marijuana. What they conveniently omit, however, is that most went the legislative route. It's why seven former Florida Supreme Court justices recently voiced opposition on those grounds to Amendment 2. "Once an amendment is in the constitution, it is extremely difficult to change," wrote former Justice Ken Bell, who sat on the court from 2003-08. "A subject such as this should be addressed by general [legislative] law ..." As the Legislature did earlier this year, legalizing Charlotte's Web, a noneuphoric strain of marijuana, to help kids burdened with life-threatening epileptic seizures. Legislation, by the way, titled, the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act. Other notable opponents of Amendment 2, in addition to the retired justices, include the Florida Sheriff's Association and the Florida Medical Association. Critics rightly warn that Amendment 2 is too broad and potentially littered with loopholes. We, too, worry that unintended consequences related to access and qualifying conditions could rain down on the Sunshine State. It might not result in Pill Mills 2.0. However, any potential flaws would be far easier (and cheaper) for lawmakers to tweak in statute than to address through another amendment. Even Orlando attorney John Morgan, the face of Amendment 2, conceded in an interview with the Editorial Board that this pursuit of a constitutional amendment is a last resort to circumvent a "broken" Tallahassee. Not that it's warrant to be penny wise and pound-foolish. We're not indifferent to the genuine suffering of Floridians. Despite that white-hat motive of Amendment 2, we don't think voters should make this decision listening only to their hearts, and not also to their heads. In December, Morgan told the Tampa Bay Times, "Everyone here knows that one day medical marijuana is going to be legal in Florida. Perhaps. But Nov. 4 shouldn't be the day. Nor should a constitutional amendment be the way. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom