Florida

Amendment 2 Supporters Hit South Florida

With November’s general election less than a month away, candidates and those supporting issues are making a big push to secure support. Thursday in Miami Gardens, supporters of Amendment Two, medical marijuana legalization, made their pitch.

“It’s not gonna be easy,” said Eli Asegozi of United for Care. “That’s part of why we’re doing what we’re doing today. But we believe that the voters in Florida, they want this and I think that’s how we got it on the ballot and we think the voters will reflect that.”

Hundreds of thousands of voters got the proposal on the ballot this year. But, it will need at least 60 percent support from the public and the latest polling has shown support for medicinal marijuana in the Sunshine State dipping.

The amendment is opposed by Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson who has donated several million dollars trying to stop the bill. The Florida Sheriff’s Association has also waged a tough campaign against the legalization of medicinal marijuana.

The bill’s main proponent has been John Morgan whose law firm employed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist.

For some families, the issue is about more than the politics. Father’s like Seth Hyman said they’ve tried everything to try to help sick loved ones and nothing else has worked. Hyman spoke about his eight-year-old daughter Rebecca at Thursday’s rally.

“She doesn’t walk and talk, has a feeding tube, as with all her disabilities, it’s her epilepsy where she has hundreds of seizures a day that are uncontrolled by traditional medication,” Hyman said. “We need this for our daughter to help her live the best life she can liv3e and unfortunately we don’t have that opportunity and the waiting game is just as painful.”

What could determine the fate of the amendment is the voter turnout on Election Day. Republicans expect an enthusiasm gap that typically keeps key Democratic voting groups from voting in mid-term elections.

But, with a tight race for governor at the top of the ballot, anything is possible when voters head to the polls this November.

"They might have millions of dollars, but we have thousands of volunteers that are in support of it. And we have thousands of patients that truly need this."

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