After Amendment 2 failed to pass in 2014 by a mere 2%, Orlando lawyer John Morgan promised he would be back again for the 2016 elections to once again try and get the medical marijuana initiative underway.
Just last week, Morgan wrote out a check for $150,000 to start up the campaign for next year. After such a close defeat there is a lot of confidence surrounding the “Use of Marijuana for Debilitation Medical Conditions amendment.
What Makes this Bill Different?
Last year it is hard to say for sure why the bill failed to pass, at least hard to say for sure. There could have been a number of factors including the “Drug Free Florida” group who were rallying against legalization in the last couple months leading up to the election. It could have also been that simply not enough of the younger crowd went out to vote!
After all, the only age group at the time who were on the side of leaving things the way they are is those 65 and older – which is also a large portion of those living in the Sunshine State. This unfortunately is the biggest hurdle to get past – changing the minds of this age group.
The previous bill was not specific enough for many of these people. They said it left too many loopholes and looked as though it were a cover for full-blown legalization. To avoid such conflicts this time around Morgan has changed the title as well as some of the wording in the bill, though the main idea behind it is still the same.
Morgan has also insisted that he knows better what to expect this time around and is planning accordingly. He plans to make the campaign less about himself and more about the hundreds and thousands of patients who will benefit from this bill becoming law.
What Can the Citizens Do to Help?
The first thing that Morgan needs to accomplish now that the bill has been proposed is to collect 600,000+ signatures petitioning for this bill to reach the ballots. Without these initial signatures there will be no way at all that this bill is going to pass.
If you are always looking for a cool new way to help out a cause you believe in there is nothing simpler you can do than sign your name. Once you have done so that is more signature closer to the bill reaching ballots.
Once the signatures have been collected you can help out by spreading the word and getting the message out there. If more of the millennial generation shows up to the polls in 2016 than did two years prior, this bill has a healthy chance of passing.
