Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush worries that if a vote to legalize medical marijuana passes in November, the state could become the “the pot capital of the world.”
With voters in the nation’s fourth most populous state less than three months away from deciding whether to allow medical marijuana — and polls showing voters favoring the measure by nine to one — opposition the Amendment 2 to the state’s constitution is heating up.
The Florida Sheriffs’ Association has been leading the charge against the amendment since January, saying its members are concerned about potentially higher crime rates and more traffic accidents.
Since then, a group called “Don’t Let Florida Go to Pot,” also backed by the sheriffs, has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against any form of legal weed.
Drug Free Florida has stepped up as well, financially backing a political action committee called Vote No on 2.
In addition to concerns about rising crime, the sheriffs maintain a constitutional amendment isn’t the best way to implement laws that may need years of fine tuning.
“It’s going to change the face of the state of Florida,” Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube told a Kiwanis Club meeting in Bradenton recently, referring to the impact of medical marijuana.
“Absolutely nothing should be a change in that constitution except for something that is really good for everybody in the state,” Steube said. “It is actually bypassing the Legislature. If this thing passes, we’ve got it forever.”
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri agrees.
“Those who are pushing this ballot referendum are being disingenuous,” Gualtieri said in an interview with the Herald-Tribune. “They are trying to create a recreational marijuana environment under the guise of providing some sort of medical benefit to those who are in pain. And they’re tugging on the heartstrings and sympathy that the largely uninformed, uneducated public has for those who are in pain or in end-of-life type illnesses like HIV or cancer.”
The amendment’s ballot summary says a vote yes would “Allow the medical use of marijuana for individuals with debilitating diseases as determined by a licensed Florida physician.” Steube worries, however, the full text of the amendment is much broader.
“ ‘Debilitating Medical Condition’ means cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient,” the text reads.
Steube and other opponents complain “other conditions” is too vague.
“Can anybody define for me what ‘other conditions’ are?” he asked the Kiwanis. In other medical marijuana states, he said, recommendations have been written for “anorexia, chronic pain, migraines, muscle spasms, neck pains, back pain, and even menstrual cramps.”
In some cases, medical marijuana prescriptions have also been written for “throat pain, trouble sleeping and problems eating,” he adds, as a punctuation.
Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight declined to comment for this story, but he hasn’t been silent on the issue. In February, he debated Amendment 2 with Orlando attorney and medical marijuana advocate John Morgan at a Sarasota Tiger Bay luncheon.
“Our children are going to have much easier access to pot” if the amendment passes, Knight said. “Secondly, crime will increase in this community. And thirdly, our quality of life will be negatively affected.”
Knight also penned a guest editorial in the Herald-Tribune explaining his position.
“Since Florida does not have an FDA-like agency, it will not be closely monitored and controlled. We have a hard enough time controlling the use and distribution of medicines that are FDA-approved — including and especially prescription painkillers.”
In the coming weeks, informal talks to small groups like the Kiwanis will be replaced with substantial media campaigns from both advocates and opponents.
Nevada casino owner Sheldon Adelson, for instance, in June donated $2.5 million to Drug Free Florida, presumably to fight the amendment or fund anti-marijuana ads.
No on 2 has gotten traction with its anti-pot campaign slogan, “The Devil is in the Details.”
Amendment 2 proponents worry Adelson and other big-money donators could significantly influence swing voters.
“Sheldon Adelson’s donation to Drug Free Florida represents more than the total amount raised or spent in all the other states combined in opposition to medical marijuana initiatives,” said Ben Pollara, director of the group that gathered the hundreds of thousands of signatures required to get Amendment 2 onto the ballot.
United for Care, which backs medical marijuana, spent roughly $4 million getting Amendment 2 on the ballot.
Vote No on 2 campaign manager J.J. Witson said the bulk of the $2.7 million it has raised — including Adelson’s donation — to run ads.
Like Pollara, he declines to be specific about future advertising.
Bush and the Florida Chamber of Commerce together have thrown their clout behind the Don’t Let Florida Go to Pot coalition.
Bush argues Florida has worked for years to make the state a desirable tourism destination, a good place to raise a family and a fantastic place to retire, he said.
“Allowing large-scale marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medical purposes, runs counter to all these efforts,” Bush said on Aug. 14.
A day later, in Punta Gorda to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Charley, Bush added he is worried about Florida becoming “the pot capital of the world.”
But Vote No on 2 set the possible tone for what’s to come a week earlier, when it published a photo on its Facebook page and Twitter associating marijuana edibles with date rape.
The photo shows a young couple, arm in arm and facing a plate of chocolate cookies. A white arrow points to a bag labeled “Marijuana Cookies” in the young man’s back pocket.
“Will the new face of ‘date rape’ look like a cookie?” a caption reads. “Vote No on 2.”
Though the group endured backlash from pro-pot groups and others, Vote No on 2 stands by the ad. “We see this happen with alcohol and other drugs on a daily basis,” said Vote No on 2 statewide coalition director Jessica Spencer, who is on sabbatical from running the Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition.
“We see people eating marijuana edibles and not knowing it on a daily basis. It is completely plausible.”
Her biggest complaint is the proposed amendment puts no restrictions on use of medical marijuana by teens or children.
“The most disturbing thing is we are the only state that has put absolutely no age restriction on it,” Spencer said.
And like Steube, she’s concerned that if the constitutional amendment passes, it would be very difficult to change in the future.
Spencer also isn’t swayed by a provision that would require the Florida Department of Health to determine rules and regulations for medical marijuana patients and others by mid-2015.
“If the Department of Health tries to restrict the amendment, they are then in violation of the constitution,” she said.
NOTEStart
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In the first two weeks of August, former Jeb Bush fretted out loud that Florida might become “the pot capital of the world” while an anti-pot group suggested through a widely disseminated poster that marijuana could be the next date rape drug.
With voters in the nation’s fourth largest state only 11 weeks away from voting on a proposed amendment that would give them the right to use marijuana for medical purposes, and with polls showing voters favoring the measure by nine to one, opposition to the measure is heating up.
The Florida Sheriffs’ Association has been leading the charge against the amendment since January, saying members were concerned about the possibility of higher crime rates and more traffic accidents.
Since then, the sheriffs have put a more media-savvy group out front called “Don’t Let Florida Go to Pot.”
Representing the opposition is Drug Free Florida, which in turn backs the political action committee called Vote No on 2.
The sheriffs make the point that a constitutional amendment is not the best way to implement a set of laws that may need to be fine-tuned for years to come.
“It’s going to change the face of the state of Florida,” Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube told Kiwanis Club members at a recent Friday morning gathering in Bradenton.
“Absolutely nothing should be a change in that constitution except for something that is really good for everybody in the state,” Steube said. “It is actually bypassing the Legislature. If this thing passes, we’ve got it forever.”
“Those who are pushing this ballot referendum are being disingenuous,” said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, in a phone interview. “They are trying to create a recreational marijuana environment under the guise of providing some sort of medical benefit to those who are in pain, and tugging on the heartstrings and sympathy that the largely uninformed, uneducated ublic has for those who in pain or in end-of-life type illness like HIV, cancer, those type of things.”
The ballot summary on the amendment says it “Allows the medical use of marijuana for individuals with debilitating diseases as determined by a licensed Florida physician.”
However, the full text reveals that the amendment is broad in its applications, Steube points out.
“‘Debilitating Medical Condition’ means cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.”
Opponents, including Steube, rail against the important phrase “Other conditions.”
“Can anybody define for me what other conditions are?” he asked the Kiwanis. In other medical marijuana states, he said, recommendations have been written for “anorexia, chronic pain, migraines, muscle spasms, neck pains, back pain, and even menstrual cramps.”
He then added “throat pain, trouble sleeping and problems eating.”
CUE THE MONEY, CUE THE EX-GOVERNOR
The sheriffs’ talks to Kiwanis are about to be supplanted by substantial media buys by both sides.
Nevada casino owner Sheldon Adelson in June donated $2.5 million to Drug Free Florida, most of which presumably will go into anti-marijuana ads developed by the PAC “Vote No on 2.”
No on 2’s slogan so far is “The Devil is In the Details.”
“Sheldon Adelson’s donation to Drug Free Florida represents more than the total amount raised or spent in all the other states combined in opposition to medical marijuana initiatives,” said Ben Pollara, director of the group that gathered the hundreds of thousands of signatures required to get Amendment 2 onto the ballot.
United for Care has spent roughly $4 million getting Amendment 2 on the ballot, his group confirmed.
But Pollara is being cagey about how much more he can spend.
“We have half a million in the bank and quite a bit more committed,” Pollara said. “We are not going to be the Charlie Crist or Rick Scott campaign, but we are going to have the money we need.”
Vote No on 2 campaign manager J.J. Witson confirmed that the group will be able to use most of the $2.7 million it has raised, including Adelson’s $2.5 million, to run ads.
Like Pollara, he declined to say much more about the coming ad war.
“You’re asking me to talk strategy with you on a campaign. That is not something we do,” Witson said.
Meanwhile, Jeb Bush, along with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said on Aug. 14 that they were joining the Don’t Let Florida Go to Pot coalition.
Florida’s leaders have worked for years to make the state a desirable tourism destination, a good place to raise a family or a good place to retire, Bush said.
“Allowing large-scale marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medical purposes, runs counter to all these efforts,” he said.
A day later, in Punta Gorda to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Charley, Bush added he is worried about Florida becoming “the pot capital of the world.”
The chamber and Jeb Bush coming out against pot in the same breath was a strong move.
But meanwhile, the Vote No on 2 group on Aug. 9 used its presence on Facebook and Twitter to publish a poster associating marijuana edibles with date rape, and has been taking a tongue-lashing.
The photo shows the backs of a young couple, arm in arm. They are facing a plate with what appears to hold chocolate cookies. The photo has been altered to include a big white arrow pointing down toward a bag labeled “Marijuana Cookies” in the young man’s back pocket.
“Will the new face of ‘date rape’ look like a cookie?” the caption reads. “Vote No on 2.”
Even within the No on 2 Facebook pages,some comments poke fun at the piece.
“Pot rapists, we’re on to you,” wrote one. “Vote no on 2 or your daughter will get raped.”
The initial backlash was so pronounced that the pro-marijuana group United For Care decided to run the date rape-marijuana poster on its own competing Facebook pages two days after it was first published.
The pro-pot group has garnered 3,700 “shares,” meaning that is how many viewers are showing the poster to others they know. That is seven times more than the “shares” accumulated by the No on 2 folks, who acknowledge creating the artwork.
“The opposition I have been in Florida is a bit more hysterical than the opposition we have seen in in other states,” said Robert Capecchi, a deputy director at the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington D.C., which has been involved in previous legalization campaigns.
United For Care director Ben Pollara has even managed to use the date rape poster to raise money.
“Medical marijuana edibles are for people who simply don’t want to, or can’t, inhale,” wrote Pollara in an Aug. 13 pitch for donations.
“This uninformed quip is not only a slight to the real plight of sick people –it diminishes the very real trauma and pain suffered by actual rape victims. Rape is not brought about by marijuana cookies –it’s brought about by sick psychopaths.”
“I think that poster trivializes a very serious problem,” said Sheila Jaffe, speaking on behalf of the Palm Beach chapter of National Organization for Women, NOW. “I think we have a much bigger problem with alcohol.”
“I don’t understand why it isn’t a completely plausible event,” said Vote No on 2 statewide coalition director Jessica Spencer. “We see this happen with alcohol and other drugs on a daily basis. We see people eating marijuana edibles and not knowing it on a daily basis. It is completely plausible.”
In joining Vote No on 2, Spencer went on a sabbatical from running the Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition.
For her, the biggest loophole of all is that the amendment places no restriction on the use of medical marijuana by teens or children.
“The most disturbing thing is we are the only state that has put absolutely no age restriction on it,” said Spencer.
And like Sheriff Steube, she is concerned about the fact that this vote would create a constitutional amendment, which makes it difficult to change in the future.
The amendment orders the Florida Department of Health to come up with rules and regulations for patients, caregivers, growers, processors and retailers by mid-2015.
But, says Spencer, “If the Department of Health tries to restrict the amendment, they are then in violation of the constitution.”
Anti-pot camp ramping up campaign
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