In the Florida attorney general race, the candidates are showing no sign of avoiding hot-button topics like medical marijuana use and same-sex marriage.
On Friday, state Attorney General Pam Bondi took to the national airwaves when she appeared on Fox and Friends on Fox News. During her appearance, Bondi was asked about Amendment 2, a proposal to expand medical marijuana use in Florida, which voters will cast ballots on in November. Bondi doubled down on her opposition to the proposal by comparing it to the pill mill epidemic she faced at the start of her tenure in office.
Four years ago in Florida, we were the pill mill capital of the country, Bondi said. Of the top 100 oxycodone dispensaries, 98 of them lived in Florida. We fought long and hard. Now we're down to zero. Oxycodone deaths have dropped dramatically and we don't want this turning around to every corner dispensing pot instead of prescription drugs.
Bondi said something similar could happen if Amendment 2, which needs 60 percent of the vote in November to pass, is successful at the ballot box. Pointing to an op-ed opposing Amendment 2 from seven former Florida Supreme Court justices that ran in the Tampa Tribune last week, Bondi called it a great opinion which showed the proposals flaws. Bondi said expanding medical marijuana retailers across the state could lead to more serious drugs being sold under the table.
They believe it is broad, vague and they believe it would cause general use, Bondi said. They're frightened about the immunity it could give anyone who dispenses it. And ... that children could access this.
Everything we've done in Florida ... this horrible synthetic drug problem, the spices, Bondi continued. It's really heroin. Everything we've done to try to put these bad guys out of business, now we could have a pot clinic.
Bondi pointed to a state report which shows that there could be 1,800 pot shops open within our state and that Amendment 2 would open the door to future problems.
Once this is in our Florida Constitution, it's going to be very difficult to fix the flaws, Bondi said. And again, it's my duty to defend it.
Bondi has also been defending the amendment passed by voters in 2008 recognizing only traditional marriages in Florida. That stance drew the fire of former DCF Secretary George Sheldon, Bondis Democratic opponent, on Monday when Equality Action Florida PAC showcased its support of him.
Sheldon compared the recent gains made by the LGBT community to those experienced by African-Americans during the civil rights movement. He also compared opponents of same-sex marriage to advocates for slavery in 19th century America.
As with Americans of the 1950s and 1960s who quietly turned away from racial hatred and segregation, Americans today are putting aside the hostility and bigotry that have discriminated against the LGBT community for all too long, said Sheldon. Supporters of these bans argue states rights, just as slave states did in the 19th century, before the 14th Amendment promised equal protection of the law.
Sheldon supports Amendment 2 as does Tallahassee attorney Bill Wohlsfier, the Libertarian nominee in the race. Last week, Wohlsifer, who also supports same-sex marriage, went to bat for Amendment 2, hoping to persuade older Floridians, who are more opposed to it than younger voters, to support the measure.
There are many fallacies in the cannabis arguments so I encourage seniors to do their homework before subscribing to the No on 2' campaign, Wohlsifer noted last week. Seniors could possibly be the largest demographic to benefit from medical cannabis, as they are the population with the largest number of patients diagnosed with cancer, Alzheimer's, glaucoma, cardiovascular diseases and many more conditions that cannabis has shown hope for as a medicine.
How will they experience its potential unless researching it becomes more accessible? Wohlsifer asked. Some seniors in other countries are already referring to cannabis oil as the fountain of youth. Cannabis is simply a plant genus that contains different species and strains that are used for both industry and medicine. When grown for industry, it is usually referred to as hemp and it can produce everything from textiles to paper to oils to personal care products. The nutritional benefits of hemp are coming to the forefront of alternative medicine -- just visit any health food store and see all the new hemp products. In addition, the medicinal benefits of the cannabinoids found in cannabis are being studied around the world -- and different applications for many of them are showing promise. Why are we letting prohibition stand in the way of progress?
Let's grow hemp! Let's study the medicinal potential of cannabis, Wohlsifer continued. I pledge to reschedule industrial hemp as your next attorney general, and I vow to continue the fight for patient rights and access. When I drafted the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act, I did so out of compassion. Medical choices should never be criminal and they should always be decided between patients and doctors, not by bureaucrats and fear-mongering political campaigns.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
