TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Voters will get another chance to decide whether to allow medical marijuana in Florida after backers of a proposed constitutional amendment finished submitting enough valid petition signature to get on the November ballot.
Prominent Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, who has pushed the medical marijuana citizen initiative, sent an email to supporters Wednesday announcing that the petition drive was successful. According to the Florida Division of Elections website, supporters of the proposal have turned in 692,981 valid signatures, almost 10,000 more than needed to get on the ballot.
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"This effort cost millions of dollars -- but it needed to happen. ... Medical marijuana is coming to Florida," Morgan wrote in his email.
Florida Legislature is now considering a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be used on terminally ill patients. The bill is being pushed this session after marijuana advocates missed legalizing medical marijuana by about 2 percent of the vote in 2014.
"Part of the problem with putting cannabis policy in the constitution is that, as the science evolves, we become constrained in making sure that the application of that cannabis is efficient and effective as possible," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, who helped pass a limited medical marijuana law in 2014.
He said a constitutional amendment ties lawmakers' hands.
Sen. Rob Bradley, who helped crafts the same limited bill, believes it gives a good framework if the amendment passes this time around.
"We've been dealing with it since 2014," Bradley said. "There's bills running this year that put us in a good position that, if the time comes a constitutional amendment passes, Florida is ready."
Marijuana advocates in the state Legislature feel it was a missed opportunity. Sen. Jeff Clemens, who has been trying to legalize medical marijuana since 2011, said he's disappointed lawmakers couldn't get out in front of the issue.
"We're requiring the public to do what we couldn't do up here, and still can't do," Clemens said.
The ballot initiative would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with illnesses like HIV, AIDS, epilepsy and cancer.