In Central Florida on Wednesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and the Florida Chamber of Commerce came out swinging at Amendment 2, stressing Putnam's opposition to it at a media event.
The legalization of marijuana has the potential to destroy Floridas sterling reputation as a family-friendly and business-friendly state, said Putnam. Not only does this poorly written amendment give anyone with as much as a headache access to this gateway drug, the legalization of marijuana would severely impact small businesses and corporations alike. As we are making our way out of the greatest recession in decades, the last thing we need is to create a climate that will decrease productivity and increase risk for businesses.
Normally we focus on creating jobs, improving education and making Florida more competitive, but this is the type of business Florida can do without, said Mark Wilson, the president and CEO of the Florida Chamber which is backing Putnam for re-election.
Wilson turned his fire to John Morgan, the trial attorney who led efforts to get Amendment 2 on the ballot.
"I find it curious that the largest funder of this push to legalize pot is a personal injury trial lawyer firm, yet such measures are overwhelmingly opposed by Floridas medical and law enforcement community, Wilson said. Florida voters are smart and when the facts are on the table, I believe they will say no to drugs in Florida.
Standing in Putnams path to another term is Democrat Thad Hamilton who served as a colonel in the Army, worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 36 years and was on the Broward County Soil and Water Commission.
Hamilton talked to Sunshine State News on Wednesday and said he backed Amendment 2.
I support it 100 percent, Hamilton told Sunshine State News. There is no reason why we should not be taking care ... of the residents of the state of Florida.
Hamilton pointed toward the benefits medical marijuana could provide for ill patients across the Sunshine State.
If medical marijuana provides relief for their critical needs, we should support it 100 percent, Hamilton said.
Recent polls show Amendment 2 is falling short of the 60 percent needed on the November ballot to pass, though undecided voters could push it over the top.
WFLA and SurveyUSA released a poll late on Tuesday which shows Amendment 2 continuing to struggle to reach 60 percent. The poll shows 52 percent of likely voters support Amendment 2 while 33 percent oppose it and 14 percent remain undecided. Two weeks ago, the WFLA/SurveyUSA showed the measure with 56 percent support to 31 percent opposition. SurveyUSA stressed the poll was taken during Rosh Hashanah which could factor into its results.
The poll of 584 likely voters was taken from Sept. 26-29 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percent.
According to a poll from the Florida Chamber Political Institute (FCPI) released on Monday, Putnam holds a solid lead with 41 percent while Hamilton follows with 29 percent. The poll of 813 likely voters was taken from Sept. 18-21 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
