Some religious groups not on board with medical marijuana amendment

Amendment 2 polls well so far

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a little more than one month, voters in Florida will have to decide: Should the state legalize medical marijuana?

Amendment 2 failed by a thin margin two years ago, but it’s polling well heading into November.
 
Still, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops isn’t quite ready to roll with medicinal pot just yet.

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“It would suggest that this would be prescribed by physicians, or this would be dispensed in pharmacies,” said Michael B. Sheedy, of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Really, that’s not the case. In fact, the regulatory requirements that today pertain to drugs are expressly prohibited from being applied to these drugs that will be more available through the amendment.”
 
But the group isn’t quite ready to oppose the measure, either.
 
"The bishops, being informed by the experience of caring for the sick and the suffering, want to make sure that people are aware of the concerns as they weigh whether to support it or oppose it,” Sheedy said.
 
The “No on 2” campaign is ready to ramp up its attacks on medical marijuana, with $1 million worth of TV ads set to hit the airwaves in early October.
 
But medical marijuana supporters are optimistic.

"The Legislature will be able to write statues to implement this,” said Reggie Garcia, a “Yes on 2” spokesman. “So, we think there's a lot of safeguards — what we call belts and suspenders here, enabling us to trust our doctors.”
 
Supporters hope a presidential election bump gives them the required votes to push the measure past the required 60 percent approval mark.

Missouri and Arkansas also have medical marijuana legalization on the ballot this November. Twenty-five states and Washington, D.C., have already passed laws allowing medical pot.