Pubdate: Fri, 13 May 2016
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Copyright: 2016 Orlando Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/325
Note: Rarely prints out-of-state LTEs.

The Interview

BENEFACTOR OPTIMISTIC ON AMEND. 2

For the second time in two years, Florida voters will be presented 
with a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana for 
medical purposes. United for Care, which backed Amendment 2 in 2014, 
is also backing the 2016 measure, also known as Amendment 2. Campaign 
chairman John Morgan has invested millions of dollars in both 
efforts. We discussed the issue with Morgan, campaign manager Ben 
Pollara and Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre. An excerpt of Morgan's 
responses follows. A video of the full interview is at 
OrlandoSentinel.com/opinion.

Q: Amendment 2 failed in 2014. Why are you trying again just two years later?

A: ... No. 1, we ran it in an off-year election, where turnout was 
historically low ... We still only lost by a fraction ... We think 
turnout is going to be our friend this time. No. 2, one of the great 
arguments against it was: It shouldn't be a constitutional amendment; 
it should be done in the Florida Legislature. I think all Floridians 
now know that the Florida Legislature is incapable of passing 
anything. ... No. 3, we had what [opponents] called "loopholes" last 
time, and this time we have taken that language [and] we have 
eliminated all those loopholes. So as we come back now, we're optimistic....

Q: Is the Legislature really incapable of acting? They've legalized 
"Charlotte's Web" marijuana for sick kids, and this year they 
legalized marijuana for the terminally ill.

A: They are capable of obstructing; that's what they do. Remember 
this: Charlotte's Web never comes to be, but for me. That was a 
reaction so that [legislators] could say to Florida, "Oh, look - we 
have [medical] marijuana," but it was for a fraction of the people 
[who need it]. We come back again, and they say, "Wait a minute - 
we'll do it for the terminally ill." ... [W]hat they've done goes to 
a fraction of the 400,000 to 500,000 people [who] need it. It doesn't 
help the people with multiple sclerosis, ALS, AIDS, quadriplegia, 
vets coming back. I could go on and on and on. So it is an effort to 
confuse the voters. And the reason, Paul, quite frankly, it's simply 
money. The pharmaceutical industry does not want this to happen, and 
the pharmaceutical industry pumps so much money into Tallahassee, 
into [Washington] D.C., because they want to sell us opiates that 
kill us, hook us, and destroy millions of families nationwide....

Q: Isn't it unwise to have this policy in the constitution if medical 
science changes or unforeseen problems emerge?

A: No, because remember: The gatekeepers of these prescriptions are 
our doctors. If all of a sudden science comes in and says, "My god, 
this is terrible for you" for whatever reason, are our doctors going 
to prescribe the medicine then? No. ... At the end of the day, we 
have to trust our doctors.

Q: If marijuana is made legal for medical purposes, won't it be more 
accessible to kids for recreational use?

A: What people need to be worried about is not the medical marijuana 
given to very few sick people. What people need to be worried about 
is, the gateway drug is the medicine cabinet ... teeming with Xanax, 
Percoset, every drug imaginable....

Q: Is legalizing medical marijuana in Florida just a step on the way 
to legalizing it for recreational purposes?

A: ...I do believe in the decriminalization of marijuana. ... I 
believe it should be done statewide. But the people of Florida have 
my word that my fight is not the legalization of marijuana. ... 
You're more likely to see me with another amendment for something 
like raising the minimum wage to $15 [an hour] ... than the 
legalization of marijuana. That will never, ever be my fight. I will 
never put a dollar behind it.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom