Guest Author
Supporters of a medical marijuana initiative had two big reasons to cheer last week. But the real good news might not be what you suspect.
The group People United for Care, which is leading the drive to get the medical marijuana question on the November ballot, announced last week that it had collected more than 1.1 million signatures, many more than it needed ahead of the Feb. 1 deadline. Thus far, 458,000 petitions have been validated on the way to the nearly 700,000 needed.
While that is great news for the John Morgan-led effort, there is still the matter of getting the measure approved. Two hurdles await. The state Supreme Court must first approve the ballot language. Given opposition from Attorney General Pam Bondi (more on that later), the court’s green light is not assured. Neither is the voters’. Ballot initiatives require 60 percent to pass.
That’s why the events in Tallahassee on Thursday mean much more. On Thursday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, chairman of the state House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, held a hearing about the legalization of Charlotte’s Web, a specific strain of marijuana that has demonstrated some success in the treatment of a severe form of epilepsy in children. In voicing his support for this form of medical marijuana, Gaetz, a limited-government Republican, said in an interview, “I don’t want government standing between parents and the care they need for their children.”
Even if the Gaetz’s legislation goes nowhere, his sentiments can be the dominant narrative over the next 10 months. The image of parents and incapacitated children campaigning for relief can be a powerful political weapon.
However, it must be noted that Gaetz opposes what he called the “John Morgan financed” ballot initiative because it would lead to a pot “dispensary on every corner” and anyone with high anxiety will be begging doctors for a marijuana joint. He worried about the impact on “the social fabric of our state.”
Gaetz and other conservatives are comfortable making the distinction between epileptic children and aging adults on chemotherapy. But who decides who deserves relief?
Judging from Gaetz’s contortions, it’s clear that discussing medical marijuana can tie conservatives in knots. Remember Attorney General Bondi? An advocate of states rights whenever federal regulations clash with her conservative ideology, Bondi claims that medical marijuana use will still be illegal under federal law even if voters approve the ballot initiative. That’s hollow coming from one of the most strident opponents of Obamacare and won’t hold much sway with voters.
What will matter is if ballot backers can convince the electorate in the pain-medication capital of the United States that medical marijuana, though not a cure, can significantly improve the lives of chronically ill patients.
They must reassure voters medical marijuana will not be a Trojan Horse for the Colorado-style legalization of pot. The second task is much harder.
