Pubdate: Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
Page: A1
Copyright: 2014 The Palm Beach Post
Contact:  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333
Author: John Kennedy

REPUBLICANS WEIGH NEW MEDICAL POT PLAN

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's ruling Republicans are uniting behind
legislation that would allow the use of certain, weaker strains of
marijuana by epilepsy patients, an action they say is sparked by
heart-moving stories but which others suspect is driven more by
election-year politics.

Republican support for the so-called "Charlotte's Web" legislation has
emerged in the weeks following the Florida Supreme Court's approval of
a November ballot proposal that would legalize a more sweeping use of
marijuana for medical purposes in the state.

The medical marijuana campaign has been shaped and largely bankrolled
by Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, a major backer of Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, and Republican strategists fear
it could drive younger voters and more independents to the polls in
November, possibly upsetting Republican Gov. Rick Scott's re-election
prospects.

Republican reversal

Now, the same Republican leaders who argued before justices against
medical marijuana are promoting Charlotte's Web - a reversal that has
left even some of their former allies confused.

"We cannot support the Charlotte's Web legislation in its current
form," said Calvina Fay, executive director of Drug Free America
Foundation. "I'm not a political person, but setting it up for use
against the medical marijuana movement does appear to be a
possibility.

"But if that is a strategy, no one is sharing that with us," added
Fay, whose organization argued before the court that the medical
marijuana amendment should not be placed on the ballot,

Drug Free and an allied organization, Save Our Society from Drugs, are
based in St. Petersburg and founded by Republican fundraiser and
anti-drug proponent Betty Sembler. Her husband, Mel Sembler, is a
former Republican National Finance chairman and ambassador who helped
finance the anti-medical marijuana effort in Colorado.

The Charlotte's Web legislation advancing in Florida's
Republican-controlled House and Senate would allow doctors to
prescribe a strain of marijuana low in tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC,
the compound which basically produces a "high."

While not intoxicating, this pot is rich in cannabidiol, or CBD, which
has been found effective in treating seizure disorders.

The nickname "Charlotte's Web" comes from a 7-year-old Colorado girl,
Charlotte Figi, who suffered hundreds of weekly seizures caused by
Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. Her seizures were eased by
treatment with drops of CBD oil.

Rick Wilson, a Republican consultant, said he supports the medical
marijuana movement in Florida, but forecast that his party will
continue to oppose the proposed constitutional amendment.

Wilson said he is confident in polls that show voters will approve
medical marijuana in November. But if Republicans are demonized for
standing in the way of prescription pot, it could hurt Scott, he said.

Instead, Charlotte's Web makes Republicans look more responsive and
puts the party in a position to cool any attempts to fire up
supporters of medical marijuana, he said.

For some voters, having Charlotte's Web available may be enough to
inspire them to vote "no" on the bigger ballot measure, Wilson
acknowledged.

"It's political judo," Wilson said. "It's using your opponent's
strength against them, taking away the ability of Democrats and
supporters of medical marijuana to use it against Republicans."

Like many Democrats in the Legislature, Sen. Jeff Clemens of Lake
Worth said he supports the Charlotte's Web proposal.

But Clemens, now in his fourth year of trying to get a hearing for his
bill to legalize regular marijuana for medical use (SB 962), said the
measure will not cool support for the broader approach in November.

"Charlotte's Web would help a small but important part of the
population," Clemens said. "But there are many more people that would
be left out. If Republicans see this as a plan to defeat the
amendment, it's not going to work."

The proposed constitutional amendment would allow patients with
cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease, HIV/AIDs and Parkinson's disease to be
among those eligible for treatment with marijuana - and not just the
non-euphoric strains allowed for seizure patients under the
Charlotte's Web proposal. It also gives doctors authority to prescribe
for "other conditions."

Pot eases seizures

Although marijuana remains a controlled substance and illegal under
federal law, the U.S. Justice Department has said it is not looking to
prosecute medical-marijuana cases in states where it's been legalized.

Charlotte Figi's case was covered by CNN last year. Since then, dozens
of families with epileptic children have moved to pot-legal Colorado -
they are dubbed marijuana refugees - to get access to treatment.

Florida is among 15 states now considering legalizing non-euphoric
marijuana. Included are some states that already approved medical
marijuana but would now extend its use to minors.

Twenty states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the use of
marijuana for treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Eleven of
the states have enacted such laws through ballot measures, with five
of them drawing at least 60 percent support from voters - the level
needed in Florida for a constitutional amendment to win approval.

After emotional testimony Tuesday from several parents whose children
suffer from severe seizures, the Senate Health Policy Committee
unanimously approved a measure that would legalize the non-euphoric
form of marijuana for prescription by doctors.

"These are wonderful, inspirational parents," said Sen. Rob Bradley,
R-Fleming Island, sponsor of the measure (SB 1030). "Any law that
would define them as criminals defies common sense and is a law which
should be changed."

The Senate action followed last week's approval by a House committee
of similar legislation (HB 843), but the House bill stops short of
legalizing Charlotte's Web. Instead, it is designed to stop
prosecutors from charging people who possess low-grade marijuana for
use in treating seizures.

The lone vote against the measure last week came from Rep. Gayle
Harrell, R-Stuart, who said lawmakers appear to be basing their action
solely on personal stories.

Harrell said legislators should instead be directing patients to
ongoing clinical studies attempting to find the best form of treatment
for devastating seizures.

Scientists think CBD eases the excessive chemical activity in the
brain that causes seizures. But researchers also acknowledged they
don't fully understand the long-term effects of marijuana use on children.

Harrell said she is sympathetic to families who come to testify before
committees in Tallahassee. But she, too, holds open the possibility
that politics is behind her party's sudden embrace of Charlotte's Web.

"There is that potential," she said.

But Holley Moseley, whose 11-year-old daughter, RayAnn, is among
125,000 Florida children who suffer from Dravet Syndrome, said
Floridians should be able to seek effective treatment.

Moseley has been to Colorado and has met Charlotte Figi and the
growers who are processing the non-euphoric strain.

"I know this will work," Moseley said. "When I look at Charlotte Figi,
I can see RayAnn."  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D