TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Voters in November 2014 could get the chance to legalize medical marijuana. A petition drive is being funded by one of the richest lawyers in the state, and the fight is personal for that man.
In Tallahassee, the push is on to let you vote on whether or not Florida should legalize medical marijuana.
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Marijuana has never been easy for elected officials. In 1978, a voice vote in the state House could have decriminalized pot use.
The vote was close, until members had to put their name next to their vote. It failed three to one.
This past legislative session, Kathy Jordan, who says marijuana alleviates her ALS symptoms, wheeled the halls of the capitol pushing a bill to legalize medical marijuana. It didn't even get a hearing, despite polls showing 70 percent are in favor.
"They're very polite, but they can politely say no too," said Kathy's husband, Robert Jordan.
Last month, a group calling itself People United for Medical Marijuana filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's office to let voters decide the medical marijuana question.
The group needs a million signatures by February. But what gives this group a leg up is John Morgan, one of the richest trial lawyers in Florida. On Thursday, he told the Capital Tiger Bay Club that he's pushing the amendment because politicians won't.
"These politicians are here for themselves, and that's why I'm here," said John Morgan from People United for Medical Marijuana. "Because they are not going to do the job for you."
Morgan expects to spend $3 million to gather signatures and another $10 million to pass the measure. To Morgan, the fight is personal. Marijuana helped ease his dying fathers pain.
"It's really for the terminally ill, the critically ill, the chronically ill. It's not for somebody who's having a bad hair day," said Morgan.
Only medical doctors could prescribe medical marijuana if the amendment passes.