I would like to challenge Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos' claims in her recent column in opposition to the passage of Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana. Dr. Haridopolos describes life under Amendment 2 as the wild west of cannabis - pot shops on every corner, no quality control, children with unlimited access, no tests for molds or bugs; when in fact, that is the current condition under prohibition. She warns of financial opportunists or recreational marijuana users who will exploit Amendment 2. Right now, profiteers prey on patients who are forced into the same position as recreational users. Patients find supplies are untested, with no labeling requirements, no guarantees of purity, nor even an assurance of regular access. [continues 528 words]
I read with great sorrow the article about the Cooper City High School students arrested on drug charges. Certainly, everyone agrees it is sad we have youth taking or selling drugs in our schools and it can't be allowed to happen. My sorrow runs deeper than that, though. I am looking at the consequences of these children's actions and why this situation happens. Our society has become rooted in drugs. You can't turn on the television without being bombarded with drug ads. It's either the pharmaceutical company telling us to take a drug for our social anxiety, or a pill to lose weight; alcohol ads that tell us we'll be more popular if we drink their brand or the Office of Drug Control telling us to not use drugs. As early as middle school, we begin to pressure kids about college admittance, then we are surprised when they seek out anxiety-relieving drugs. [continues 99 words]
Thanks to Florida Today's editors for weighing in on the restoration of rights for ex-felons in Florida. The state's taxpayers should be outraged over the disenfranchisement that has occurred. The average citizen would be amazed at how many actions are legally classified as felonies. Our dollars pay to house offenders -- most often for nonviolent crimes and pay to retrain felons in barber skills or air conditioning repair. Then, disenfranchisement prevents them from holding state licenses for the very thing we trained them to do. If the citizens of Florida really looked at our criminal justice system, they would demand alternative sentencing programs, better public education, more rehabilitation for offenders and automatic restoration of rights upon completion of their sentences. Executive Director, Florida Cannabis Action Network Melbourne [end]
Your July 31 editorial, "Wrong to vote," stated that Democrats would benefit from the restoration of voting rights to felons. But you have failed to grasp what disenfranchisement means to ex-offenders. The issue of rights restoration should be about people, not politics. You talk about murderers getting to vote, but fail to mention thousands of nonviolent offenders who committed felonies, fulfilled the court requirements, and now can't hold a state license to be a barber or do air-conditioning repair because of disenfranchisement. [continues 130 words]
By Jodi James, Melbourne Those in favor of drug-testing of students in order to assure they remain drug-free should be aware of possible unintended consequences. Use of any substance, including alcohol and tobacco, is illegal for those who are under age, yet most current testing methods exclude these substances. Anyone can look on the Internet to find out how long a given substance stays in the body. For example, cannabis stays for up to 45 days while cocaine is undetectable after four days or less. Ecstasy remains in the system from five to seven days. A young person intent on doing drugs can buy whatever substance he or she wants. [continues 97 words]
Those in favor of drug-testing of students in order to assure they remain drug-free should be aware of possible unintended consequences. Use of any substance, including alcohol and tobacco, is illegal for those who are under age, yet most current testing methods exclude these substances. Anyone can look on the Internet to find out how long a given substance stays in the body. For example, cannabis stays for up to 45 days while cocaine is undetectable after four days or less. Ecstasy remains in the system from five to seven days. A young person intent on doing drugs can buy whatever substance he or she wants. [continues 100 words]
In response to Helen Voltz's letter regarding mixed messages about drugs, I share her concern. I, too, was at the National Association of Counties along with six other pro medical marijuana activists including an AIDS patient and a glaucoma patient. We were not invited to participate in this conference. Several members were forcefully removed from the Peabody Hotel in Orlando for not paying the $300.00 conference fee. It became apparent reading your letter, that everyone in the state needs to be concerned about mixed messages about drugs. If, in fact, you were told that Florida has a ballot initiative to "legalize marijuana" that is sponsored by MAMA we have more to fear then anyone realizes. [continues 180 words]
