Pubdate: Mon, 17 Nov 2014
Source: Florida Today (Melbourne, FL)
Copyright: 2014 Florida Today
Contact:  http://www.floridatoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/532
Author: Steve Oa=C2=80=C2=99Conor
Page: A8

WELL-WRITTEN MEDICAL POT LAW WOULD BE NON-ISSUE

With the election over, it appears incoming Florida House Speaker
Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, may play a key role in the 2016
presidential election.

Florida, which is tied with New York for third place in Electoral
College votes behind California and Texas, will be pivotal. It is the
largest swing state in the nation. As Florida goes, so goes the nation.

Amendment 2, the so-called medical marijuana constitutional amendment,
while supported by a majority of statewide voters, failed to achieve
the required 60 percent by just a few percentage points. Its
supporters, most notably attorney John Morgan, who reportedly spent $4
million on this campaign, will undoubtedly come back with a vengeance
in 2016.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott defeated Morgana??s choice a?" his employee
Charlie Crist a?" by a narrow margin. Heavily Democratic counties had
relatively low voter turnout, despite Morgana??s pushing young voters
to turn out a??for the reefer.a?? If turnout had beenheavier in those
counties, as it was in 2012 when President Obama took the state, the
gubernatorial election might well have turned out differently.

Steve Crisafulli, as incoming House Speaker, will control the
legislative agenda for the next two years.

If the Legislature takes the initiative to pass a law authorizing the
use of marijuana for true medical purposes, with strict, well-defined
controls and eliminating the loopholes that were in the proposed
amendment, this will become a non-issue in 2016.

Steve Oa??Conor,

Melbourne
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MAP posted-by: Matt