Medical Marijuana Initiative Defeated in Florida
Florida voters have rejected the sale and distribution of medical marijuana in the state. The Associated Press declared that Amendment 2 had failed as it did not appear it would reach the necessary 60 percent super majority to pass. With nearly 90 percent of precincts reporting, about 57 percent of voters had voted yes.
The campaign for medical marijuana was among the most expensive ballot measures in the country, with millions spent on both sides. State lawmakers had passed a narrow medical marijuana law earlier this year to allow low-potency strains of the drug for certain patients.
Amendment 2 would have legalized marijuana for medical purposes in Florida. The measure proposed allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis for “debilitating medical conditions,” which the bill defined as cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV, AIDS, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or “other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.”
“While it’s disappointing that patients in Florida won’t be able to find legal relief with marijuana just yet, tonight’s result does show that a clear majority of voters in the sunshine state support a new direction,” Tom Angell, Marijuana Majority chairman, said in a statement. He said patients and marijuana supporters “will keep pushing until the law reflects what most voters want.”
SOURCE: AP & HuffPost
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