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TAKE MORAL, NOT POLITICAL ROAD ON MEDICAL POT

Florida voters denied - barely - a political imperative to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing the use of medical marijuana by folks with debilitating illnesses.

It falls upon the Florida lawmakers to follow a moral imperative to pass medical marijuana legislation and give relief to thousands of Floridians suffering from horrible ailments.  This is reason enough to move quickly, but faith in this Legislature on this issue is hard to come by.

Republican lawmakers have been magnanimous in the wake of the amendment's defeat.  ( It garnered 58 percent voter support instead of the 60 percent needed to pass.  ) They say that they are now willing to listen.  They'd better, or they're likely to get steamrolled in another two years.

Still, this is the Republican-controlled Legislature that barely passed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, also known as the Charlotte's Web law, in this year's session.  That measure, scheduled to take effect Jan.  1, will allow the use of non-euphoric medical marijuana to treat epilepsy, other conditions that cause frequent seizures or muscle spasms - mostly in children.

Health experts have noted, however, that maybe 1,500 kids in the state would benefit directly from Charlotte's Web.  The Florida Department of Health, meanwhile, estimated some 450,000 people in the state would benefit from some form of medical marijuana containing higher amounts ( about 30 percent versus 4 percent for Charlotte's Web ) of tetrahydrocannabinol - also known as THC - which can cause euphoria.

Those who supported Amendment 2 said many people suffering from a variety of illnesses and conditions need marijuana with more THC to relieve their suffering.  The proposed amendment would allow the medical use of marijuana for individuals with "debilitating diseases," such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, ALS and Parkinson's.

It was the measure's "other conditions ..." that scared some folks.  Opponents spent $8 million hammering away at loopholes in the amendment they said would usher in legalization of recreational marijuana use.  Better to leave it to the Florida Legislature to approve the use of medical marijuana through legislative statute.

A better approach, to be sure, but that would mean trusting the Legislature to act.  That's a lot of trust for the families and friends forced to watch their loved ones suffer with severe pain day after day, week after week.

The amendment's defeat now puts the ball in the Legislature's court, however.  And they do have some incentive to act.

Florida lawmakers already have a blueprint for a tightly controlled cultivation and dispensing system from when they legalized the Charlotte's Web strain this year.  Although hampered by litigation against some of the proposed rules, Republican Sen.  Rob Bradley, R-Orange Park, who sponsored the Charlotte's Web law in the Senate, said finalizing the guidelines will be the Legislature's first order of business.

There will be tremendous pressure coming from business people who see the financial opportunities in opening grow operations and dispensaries.  They know that low voter turnout was a factor in the amendment's approval falling short.  As a result, they are keeping a watchful eye, and even gearing up for a possible 2016 ballot initiative.

They're not alone.  State referendums are queuing up for 2016 after voters in Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Alaska approved recreational marijuana initiatives last week.

To that end, Orlando attorney John Morgan, who bankrolled much of the Amendment 2 movement to the tune of about $6.5 million, has already put the Legislature on notice: pass something in 2015 or we will be back in 2016 - a presidential year likely to garner much higher voter turnout.

Are GOP legislative leaders really ready to listen?

Bradley said Morgan "is absolutely right when he says this issue is not going away.  Amendment 2 was too broad, but that doesn't mean that the discussion ends."

But in the next breath, he says, "We need to hear from everyday Floridians, from people who are suffering."

Huh? Who does he think has been trying to get his attention for the past year? The airwaves have been thick with sobbing parents, pleading spouses, and even a cajoling former Florida House Speaker, all telling their very personal stories.

These same people are now trusting that the Legislature will truly listen.  Whether they deserve that trust remains to be seen.