Pubdate: Fri, 12 Apr 2013 Source: Florida Today (Melbourne, FL) Copyright: 2013 Florida Today Contact: http://www.floridatoday.com/content/forms/services/letters.shtml Website: http://www.floridatoday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/532 Author: John Ryan LET FLA. VOTERS DECIDE ON LEGALIZING MEDICAL MARIJUANA The drug cartel collects millions of American dollars from bringing marijuana to the United States. Millions that could be spent in our state to help pay our teachers and fund education instead of deepening the pockets of the drug cartel. Not to mention the amount of tax dollars we spend to house people who have been convicted of marijuana charges and the cost of prosecuting these people. In Florida, more people are incarcerated for marijuana-related charges than DUI, murder and robbery combined. Keeping marijuana illegal is not keeping anyone from using it. So why don't we make it legal to use as a medicine? Why won't our officials put it on the ballot for Florida residents to vote on? Nineteen other states have made marijuana legal as a medicine and have received great profits from it. People need to stand for what they believe and contact their state senators. Florida Senate Bill 1250 is dead in the water. It never even got a chance to be reviewed by the health policy committee. Marijuana may not be a form of medication some people would choose to use, but isn't that what America is about, the right to choose? A law firm is planning to help get the medical marijuana issue on the ballot next year, but we can't just wait for it to happen. People for medical marijuana need to voice their opinions, or Florida will stay the same. John Ryan Titusville - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom