It is safe to say that this election season came with a massive supply of drama and controversy.
Amendment 2, or the Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, was one of the controversial parts of this election. Having backfired in the previous election season, it was brought back for this election with very different results.
Florida approved Amendment 2 on Nov. 8, 2016. The amendment, in a summary, says individuals with a debilitating medical condition are allowed to use medical marijuana with the appropriate certificate signed by a licensed Florida physician and an identification card that identifies them as a patient in need of medical marijuana. The amendment defines “debilitating medical conditions” as cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, PTSD, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or “other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.”
The amendment was first introduced in 2014, where it received a majority of voter’s support – 57% to be exact – but was just shy of the required 60% of voter’s support. The amendment was defeated because of advertisements highlighting the holes the amendment was riddled with. Many ads spoke about the ease kids will have with obtaining another drug. Other ads spoke about how the medical marijuana was just “medical by name only” and would allow drug dealers to register as caregivers and allow marijuana to be put into edibles and marketed to children.
The amendment initiative was the most expensive initiative in 2014 from both the opposing side and the supportive side. Just from casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson alone brought in $5 million dollars for the opposing side and Orlando attorney John Morgan brought in millions of dollars for the supporting side. In this 2016 election, the amendment initiative had close to zero opposition. This is because the state took the bill back to the drawing board and looked at the issues the 2014 bill had – causing the approval of Amendment 2.
Several college women were asked their opinions on the amendment being approved and this is what they had to say.
Advertising and Public Relations student Lindsey Dickerson says in 2014 she voted no on the amendment because of all the holes amendment had.
“I feel like the bill proposed [in 2014] was not thought out completely. They just put it out there to sort of force it through,” she says. “In 2016 I think they really got a grasp and control on what they needed to do to make it successful. Despite still being vague, they wrote it more convincingly. They took proactive steps to get their argument out there and counter the opposition. I saw a greater outreach both on social media and around the city of Tampa.”
Hillsborough Community College student Stephanie King says, “I think medical marijuana should be legalized because it treats a lot of issues for less money and it is less harmful on our bodies then all the pills we get prescribed. It not only benefits physical health but also mental health.”
“I voted yes for it,” St. Petersburg College student Jamie Freiermuht says. “Working in the medical field and having previously worked in a pharmacy you can really see the negative effects of prescription narcotics and how addictive they are. Pain medications really take a toll on your body so having an available alternative, it should definitely be utilized. The people that need it should have access to it”.
“I didn’t have a hugely strong stance on it because I tend to go back and forth with pros and cons on everything, but I was more towards legalizing the medical marijuana mainly because I feel like yes, if it can help people then why are we holding that back?” Hillsborough Community College student Taylor Kunkle says. “We should be encouraging any ideas that can make people feel better no matter if it’s temporary or permanent. People deserve a chance of a pain-free life. But, again looking at the cons, I feel like it’s going to encourage the people to try and get around the “medical” part and maybe make a joke of it. Like stupid kids who just want to get high might fake an illness of any sort, mental or physical, just to get their hands on it. I don’t know, I’m all for it because of it helping people, but I see it causing trouble for us down the road with getting into the wrong hands”.