Orlando Attorney John Morgan has been fighting for Floridians’ right to medical marijuana for quite a few years now – and now he’s shifting towards plans to get a recreational cannabis initiative on the 2020 ballot. This news comes shortly after a Florida appeals court reversed a judge ruling that had lifted the smoking ban that prevents some medical marijuana patients from having access to the medicine they need in the specific form they need it. For now, the legal battle continues – and Morgan is taking his fight for smokable medical cannabis one step further.
“I’m going to look at starting a fund where we all can donate to get full marijuana legalization on the ballot in 2020.
When you mess with the will of the people there are unintended consequences!!
The cannabis industry is well funded now. Money won’t be a problem. #ForThePeople
— John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) June 26, 2018”
It seems that Morgan is speaking to – and possibly partnering with – marijuana companies throughout the U.S. to raise enough money to go through the process of getting a constitutional amendment on the ballot. He also intends to personally contribute any funds that are needed and not made through fundraising – estimating that the campaign would need about $5 million overall. Considering this approach was successful throughout United for Care’s campaign for Amendment 2, few are surprised that this is the direction he is now headed.
“I think it can be Florida’s way of telling Rick Scott, ‘You’re dead wrong. You have thwarted our will and you’ve taken our money to fight what we want, what we voted for with nearly 72 percent of the vote,” he said. “It’s so perverted that it’s hard to believe it’s happening. He will lose the United States Senate race over this issue.”
Other ballot initiatives for constitutional amendments have been around since before Amendment 2 became a reality. Now, Regulate Florida’s campaign manager and Tampa attorney Michael Minardi have told News Press that they are working on setting up a chance to talk to the Orlando attorney about a possible partnership. The group had originally intended to place their initiative on the 2018 ballot, but fell short of the needed number of signatures before the deadline back in February.
“At this particular time in America, people are tired of arguing about marijuana. Just legalize it and let it be,” Morgan said in an interview with The USA Today Network – Florida this week. “It’s a 21st-century business as we are losing jobs to robots and artificial intelligence.”
The biggest thing that will stand in the way of legalizing recreational cannabis in Florida is the super-majority 60 percent vote that is required to pass a constitutional amendment. However, support for legalization has grown significantly in recent years – with polls hovering between 60-65 percent in favor of regulation and legalization over prohibition. With 2020 being a presidential election year, the turnout is typically expected to be high, and more younger voters are expected to show up – all of which will aid in the potential passing of cannabis legalization in Florida.
