MMJ Initiative Underway in Florida

A medical marijuana initiative has been brewing in Florida for a couple of years by an organization called "Patients United for Medical Marijuana". The problem is it has been hard to get much traction due to a lack of funds, volunteers and resistance from politicians.

John Morgan, a high profile Orlando attorney, joined PUFMM and is willing to spend a couple million of his own money to get it on the ballot in 2014, but it's going to take volunteers and people just spreading the word. So far they have collected 110K+ signatures, enough to get the petition reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court. Since Morgan has joined in the fight the name has been changed to United for Care – Patients United for Medical Marijuana.

Petitions can be downloaded here:
http://www.unitedforcare.org/petition

And mailed to:
People United for Medical Marijuana
Post Office Box 560296
Orlando, FL 32856

I've sent letters to my local representatives on the subject and for the most part get a "blah, blah, blah… I don't think marijuana should be legalized. Blah, blah, blah…. Feel free to contact me on any other matter" response. But, if 700,000 petitions can be collected by February 2013, it is outside of their hands and it ends up on the 2014 ballot.

To win a state constitutional amendment, it takes 60 percent voter approval -- a threshold that polls indicate PUFMM could meet by 10 percentage points.

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(source)

Medical marijuana isn't going to legalize itself so it's up to us to help make this happen. If we do nothing but complain about the status quo we will have nobody to blame but ourselves. A ballot initiative is the only way it's going to happen.

While you guys are at it, don't forget to get your paraphernalia legalized again . . .

t-dub said:

While you guys are at it, don't forget to get your paraphernalia legalized again . . .

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I know, right?!

Check out the Stephen Colbert video.

Thanks for this info - the fucking government has to get their asses out of the fucking gutter.

Man Im here in GA and it looks like the south will toke again! http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/25057/georgias-plan-to-legalize-medical-marijuana/

t-dub said:

While you guys are at it, don't forget to get your paraphernalia legalized again . . .

Click to expand...

Haha yeah, I was in Miami this summer and all the headshops were gouging EXTRA hard on glass (in preparation for the paraphernalia law )

Great news in the Florida initiative. If we can get this thing on the ballot, it looks like the "public" is well behind mmj. Not a "Win" by any means, but it appears the people are ready here.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politi...rs-favor-legalizing-medical-marijuana/2153558

New Florida poll: 82 percent of voters favor legalizing medical marijuana

If a medical marijuana initiative makes Florida's ballot next year, it could pass with an astonishing 82 percent of the vote, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday that finds voters also favor outright legalization as well.


Support for the proposed constitutional amendment is strong among voters of every political stripe, age and income level, with independents lending the most support: 88 percent, the poll shows.


The overall 82-16 percent support for medical marijuana is the biggest to date. The previous high point for Florida approval was about 70 percent in a poll taken earlier this year by the medical-marijuana advocacy group, People United for Medical Marijuana.

Marijuana legalization is becoming more-liked as well, albeit narrowly.


Nearly half of Florida voters favor it — 48 percent — while 46 percent oppose pot legalization for personal use. That's within the margin of error, but it's a leading indicator of a shift in public opinion. Support for legalization is again strongest among independents (57-37 percent), and then Democrats (55-39 percent).


But Republicans are opposed 30-64 percent. Contrast that with GOP voter support for medical marijuana is solid: 70-26 percent.


One early poll and analysis from People United found that medical-marijuana was so popular that it could alter the course of the governor's race.


Republican Gov. Rick Scott opposes medical marijuana; Democrats Charlie Crist and Nan Rich support the initiative, which is funded and led by Crist's employer, trial attorney John Morgan, a Democratic donor. A major Florida Republican donor, former ambassador Mel Sembler, is opposing the measure through his Drug Free America Foundation.


In the race for governor, the Quinnipiac poll found Scott trailed Crist by 7 percentage points, 40-47 percent. That's an improvement for Scott, however, compared to the last Quinnipiac Poll in June, when the governor trailed by 10 percentage points.


As for medical marijuana's fate, the proposed amendment — which takes 60 percent voter approval to pass in Florida — appears to be on an easy path to victory at the moment. But only if it makes the ballot.


The Florida legislative leaders and the state's Attorney General want the state Supreme Court to block the measure from the ballot, saying the ballot summary is misleading and that it violates a rule that limits the scope of a constitutional amendment to a single subject. People United for Medical Marijuana, the advocacy group pushing the measure, say the criticisms are false.


The Florida Supreme Court will hear the matter next month.

If these ass clowns block the ballot I would be shocked. They need almost a million signatures before it goes to supreme Court in January.

One of their fucking brilliant concerns is that once the law passes our streets will be overun with dispensaries.

That's right, overun by dispensaries.