VERO BEACH — The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been a hot topic leading up to the Nov. 4 midterm election. Now, voters have just over five weeks to decide which side of the issue their vote will support.
On Friday evening, a group of approximately 25 people gathered for a medical marijuana informational meeting held at Cork and Tapas restaurant in Vero Beach.
“We’re here to answer questions, share a little bit of information, and dispel the myths, half-truths, and outright lies,” said cannabis advocate Bill Monroe.
Half of the battle, Monroe said, is just educating the public on what Amendment 2 is all about.
If Amendment 2 passes, it will permit licensed Florida physicians to grant certificates to patients with a “debilitating medical condition.” Those certificates will allow patients to obtain marijuana from a medical treatment center and use the marijuana for the purpose of relieving pain.
The amendment defines a debilitating medical condition as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or “other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.”
If passed, the Department of Health will be tasked with drawing up the specific rules and regulations.
Ten-year attorney at law Brook Butler joined Monroe on Friday to speak to the small crowd about the implications of passing Amendment 2.
According to Butler, one of the most common arguments against passing Amendment 2 is based on its alleged “vagueness.” People who speak out in opposition, Butler said, fear that doctors will be handing out certificates without good reason, and that marijuana dispensaries will pop up on every corner.
But Butler said those fears are hardly warranted.
“Doctors are going to be scrutinized very, very hard. Their licenses are going to be on the line,” Butler said.
She compared the doctors’ responsibility for writing certificates to approve medical marijuana to writing a prescription for other powerful pain killers like oxycodone.
Doctors who break the law writing prescriptions go to jail. According to Butler, abusing the power to write medical marijuana certificates will be no different.
In addition, Butler explained the state’s financial benefits for legalizing medical marijuana.
Right now, Butler said, the state is spending exorbitant resources incarcerating people on pot charges. Passing Amendment 2 would not only be beneficial for those who would otherwise face prison sentences, hefty fines, long probation, and the loss of their driver’s license, but it would put money back in the pockets of state employees who Butler said desperately need to see raises in their salaries.
The financial opportunities do not just stop at the state level, Monroe said. He for one has plans to launch a cultivation farm in Fellsmere and a dispensary in Palm Bay if the Nov. 4 vote lands in his favor.
For those who are willing to put forth the investment, Monroe said, they can expect to be profitable very quickly, possibly within one year.
With a few weeks left to win voters over, Monroe is hopeful Amendment 2 will pass, but he is sympathetic to the other side of the issue. It was only two years ago he was unconvinced of any benefits marijuana could have and would have likely voted against it. But now he says, he’s done the research and is a believer.
Another seminar will be held at South Beach Plaza on Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. for anyone else seeking more information before going to the polls.