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Senate, House Leaders Join AG To Block Medical Marijuana Admendment
November 4, 2013
Legislative leaders have joined Attorney General Pam Bondi’s attempt to block a medical-marijuana constitutional amendment from reaching the ballot in Florida.
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, told the Supreme Court in a filing that they object to the ballot summary that voters would see if the pot initiative goes on the November 2014 ballot. The move is the first step toward a full “friend of the court” brief that would be filed later.
In a statement, Weatherford said the lawmakers don’t object to voters being allowed to decide whether the state should allow severely ill Floridians to access marijuana.
“We firmly believe the wording of this amendment is not about legalizing marijuana for serious medical illnesses, but rather creating a path in our constitution for marijuana shops on every street corner,” Weatherford said. “The ballot summary is misleading and the impact of this amendment is far, far greater than John Morgan and his supporters would like the public to know.”
Bondi has also told the court that the summary for the ballot initiative, heavily backed by trial lawyer and Democratic donor John Morgan, would deceive voters about the reach of the amendment.
Elections officials say the measure has received 117,062 valid signatures. That’s more than enough to trigger an automatic review of the amendment by the Supreme Court, but well short of the 683,149 valid signatures supporters need to gather by Feb. 1 to put the initiative before voters in November.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments about the ballot language Dec. 5.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
8 Responses to “Senate, House Leaders Join AG To Block Medical Marijuana Admendment”
Package it like cigerettes. Put a nice tax on it. In less than a year the state of Florida will have a surplus instead of a deficit.
Don Gaetz is a self serving politician, I bet that if their was a legal corporation that produced pot and gave generous contributions to Mr. Gaetz, he would not have jumped on this wagon.
For misguided political reasons, these politicians are stonewalling the voters from deciding for themselves on this issue. I would never thought it possible that the democratic process and US Constitution could be circumvented in such a fashion.
Nothing has been stopped, things will continue business as usual in a few hours.
The Cartels will continue to dictate marijuana policy and the money will flow.
Just called my broker. If this thing passes, I’m going to buy all the “Doritos” stock I can get.
Floridians of NW Florida and across the state, let us decide on the fate of those people who need good medicine like cannabis a.k.a marijuana, not the politicians. They only serve their special interests like their lobbyists. It is true, the lobbyists are in their pocket books. If marijuana were legal and available to patients, the drug companies would be in serious trouble. Why? Marijuana or Cannabis has 200 known medicinal uses, that is why! I have seen so many people on prescription diets that it makes me sick, a pill for this a pill for that, the whole thing is a lie. We must be able to see past the media and be able to decide for ourselves, let us put this on the ballot and vote!!!!!
If the legislative leaders don’t like the wording, then get off their behinds and take it up, so that it is worded right in order to help THE VERY ILL. I have a young Nephew that RX drugs are NOT helping (he needs help now!!!). This is NOT a political issue, but once again I see its made into one!
Typical of lawmakers to try and undermine the hard work of descent Floridians. Is this not the perfect time to seize upon the opportunity to make cannabis a.k.a marijuana obtainable to those people who need it? The government would like us all to believe that it would be bad to legalize and regulate, however, other countries have already legalized cannabis, and the awesome thing is that the crime associated with the drug trade goes away, and new revenue is generated and people can have meaniful jobs again. A plant with so many beneficial effects on the human body, of course, this is another reason why these government officials will not want this to get on the ballot, drug company lobbyists do not, I repeat do not want to see cannabis legalized. Who would the doctors prescribe all those horrible drugs to then? Floridians, let us send a message to those politicians who continually serve themselves and their lobbyists instead of serving the people who put them there!
I’ve never seen anything to sign… were do I sign? I’ll sign it…
I don’t think its up to some stuck-up greased-wheel AG to decide nor any of her cronies in the senate and house. It should be up to the people to decide!