Barney Bishop: Support for passage of medical marijuana amendment slipping

Last week’s Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/UF Bob Graham Center poll on Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana, indicates that only 56.7 percent of likely voters are supporting the amendment.

This is certainly good news for those of us who oppose the amendment, but much can change.

What is significant about the poll is that the pollsters appropriately used the ballot summary as it will appear to voters. Consequently, it is probably a more accurate depiction of current voter sentiment than polls that continue to ask a general question.

However what’s encouraging about these numbers is that this is just below the requisite number needed for passage (60 percent + 1) and that advertising opposing the amendment has not yet begun.

At a recent meeting I was speaking to an avid supporter and mentioned that I was opposed to Amendment 2. His first response was, “How can you not support the right of sick patients to get access to this drug?”

That’s a legitimate question, but it’s not that we aren’t compassionate people. It’s just that we know that because the way the amendment was written, many individuals will get access to “medical” marijuana who do not need it.

The amendment language says “or other conditions.” This is clearly an escape clause that will allow many people to get access to weed who don’t have a real medical issue. They can claim to have a sore throat or sleeplessness.

You see, the authors of the amendment were not bound to add those three extra words. But they will let people get marijuana for all sorts of ailments other than the nine debilitating illnesses listed in the ballot language.

For most Floridians, when we think of “medical necessity” we perceive that med weed will be used by those who really need it to help alleviate pain, lessen the nausea from chemical treatments, or enable someone to stay off of a more dangerous drug.

Most Floridians aren’t going to want just anyone getting access to medical pot. The high THC in modern weed is intensely euphoric.

In fact, with passage “Charlotte’s Web” law, the state has already provided Floridians with the answer to their medical issues. This non-euphoric strain will deliver the relief that patients seek and rules are already being promulgated by the Florida Department of Health.

In this, my fifth column about the various problems with the amendment, it’s even more apparent that this amendment is not needed.

The problem with this amendment as drafted is that it is too liberal in who can get access.

The so-called “personal caregiver” who will be the distributor of the pot to only five other people is unenforceable. Caregivers will be able to give pot to anyone they want, even children or teens, without parental approval, and even though the language says that the caregivers can’t partake, how will that ever be enforced?

The amendment is a new source of lawsuits by a society that already sues too much. It purposely provides immunity to an industry that hasn’t requested it or even justified a need for immunity, and no industry in America enjoys this scope of immunity.

The amendment cleverly leaves the business community (outside of those growing and dispensing the med pot) holding the baggie on liability. This will cause auto, health, general liability and workers’ compensation insurance rates to increase.

Proponents have established a Blue Ribbon Commission that is a farce because it’s dominated by people supporting passage of the amendment.

As taxpayers, we are already spending over $1 billion each year to help people who have a drug dependency overcome their addiction. Allowing even more people to have access to pot will only exacerbate our problems and cost us more money to treat addicts.

So what should Floridians do?

They should vote against this poorly worded amendment because it can always be re-filed with more common-sense language.

A vote in favor of this amendment puts this vague and deceiving language in our state Constitution forever.

This amendment will not change the fact that doctors can now recommend med pot or any of its substitutes for patients they have determine would benefit from it.

Barney Bishop III is the President & CEO of Barney Bishop Consulting, LLC. Barney can be reached at [email protected] Column courtesy of Context Florida.