Forget the post election commentary on why Medical Marijuana went down in Florida. This article from slate published on Monday lays out exactly why Amendment 2 fell short.
Florida was supposed to change the way the South thinks about medical marijuana. In late July, a full 88 percent of the state supported legalizing medical cannabis, and in early October 67 percent supported Amendment 2 specifically.* Instead, that wide margin has all but disappeared, and rather than join the 23 other states with similar laws on the books, the amendment appears to be bleeding support by the hour.
A private trend poll commissioned by an out-of-state company has shown a clear downward tick in the final week before Election Day, and a Tampa Bay Times “insiders poll” of state political experts has more than 80 percent expecting a loss. It’s still too close to call, but if the initiative fails on Tuesday, Florida will make a different sort of history: It will be the largest state to ever reject legal medical marijuana by popular vote.
“It seemed like we had the prime opportunity for Florida to do something novel and different,” said state Rep. Katie Edwards, a Democrat from Broward County who co-sponsored a successful, but more limited, compassion law for severely sick patients earlier this year. “So what the hell happened…..MORE HERE.
