Pubdate: Fri, 24 Oct 2014
Source: Naples Daily News (FL)
Copyright: 2014 Naples Daily News
Contact: http://www.naplesnews.com/send-a-letter/
Website: http://www.naplesnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/284
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

'NO' ON AMENDMENT 2, THEN ANALYZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Florida should find a compassionate way to make sure the chronically
ill have access to any bonafide medication that might help ease suffering.

That said, Amendment 2 isn't the answer. The medical marijuana
constitutional amendment is too broadly structured. So we urge a 'no'
vote on Amendment 2. But that can't be the end of the story; there
needs to be a next chapter.

First, some of the many flaws with Amendment 2 and reasons to oppose
it.

The Florida Constitution is no place to enshrine medical treatment;
it's too difficult to make changes as circumstances evolve and medical
advancements are made.

There are no age limits for access to medical marijuana, nor
requirements for parental consent before providing it to a teenager.

Florida just emerged from a pill mill epidemic. Yet medical marijuana
would be allowed for anyone with any unspecified "condition" a
physician believes could be helped if usage outweighs the risks. Other
states with medical marijuana specify possession limits. We see no
amounts quantified here.

Physicians write a certification, not a prescription. They're exempt
from criminal or civil liability. The person administering it, called
a caregiver, is only required to be at least 21 years old and get a
certificate from the Florida Department of Health.

There are no regulatory specifics how medical marijuana will get from
nursery to processing site and then transported to dispensaries. The
creation of dispensaries is another flaw that bypasses already
established neighborhood and online pharmacies.

In interviews with the Daily News editorial board, two of attorney
John Morgan's biggest backers on this amendment gave opposite answers
on whether cities and counties should be allowed to set up their own
regulations for dispensaries.

The list is lengthier on reasons to vote 'no.'

So let's return to the question about the next chapter for medical
marijuana.

About 700,000 Floridians signed petitions to get this on the ballot.
Advocates suggest an estimated 415,000 patients with chronic illnesses
are suffering Floridians who might be helped, if medical marijuana can
be comforting to cancer, Parkinson's, MS and patients with other
debilitating diseases.

Some clinical studies and anecdotal testimony during the past decade
have suggested strains of marijuana can have medicinal qualities.

Yet the American Medical Association remains adamant that "cannabis is
a dangerous drug and ... a public health concern." The U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency lists it as a Schedule 1 drug, alongside heroin,
LSD and Ecstacy. That means it has a high potential for abuse, has no
currently accepted medical treatment for use in the U.S. and there's
no accepted safe protocol for its use, even under medical
supervision.

In the meantime, we've seen 23 states and the District of Columbia
allow for use of medical marijuana since 1996.

Throughout all of this, we ask: Where is the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration?

If nearly half the states take one position on medical marijuana and
the other half haven't allowed it, we contend there is a federal duty
to address it. In a statement dated in June, the FDA said it has
"talked to several states, including Florida" about conducting
research. Let's get on with it and determine if strains of marijuana
can pass clinical tests to become a prescribed medication, vetted just
like other medications.

In the meantime, lost in the back-and-forth over Amendment 2 is that
it presumed the Legislature would adopt specifics. The Legislature -
not the constitution - is where this belongs, absent federal action.

Already, a panel of law enforcement officials, medical authorities and
government experts have been at work in Florida, coming up with dozens
of ideas for what the Legislature could do if the amendment passes.
That panel has bipartisan leadership. So the next chapter already is
being researched.

Vote 'no' on 2. Then the Legislature and FDA should get down to the
business of determining if any form of medical marijuana, beyond the
noneuphoric form the state approved called Charlotte's Web, is a
compassionate way to bring relief to the chronically ill who are
desperate for relief.
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MAP posted-by: Richard