Yes On Amendment 2 Means Medication Now For Seizure Patients

Florida’s anti-Amendment 2 ads are so over-the-top that visitors from out of state, coming from states such as Ohio, which does not have medical cannabis, are calling the No On 2 ads ridiculous propaganda. Unfortunately, many Floridians seem to be being swayed by the No On 2 campaign, which continues to perpetuate myths about cannabis thanks in part to contributions from one of the world’s richest men, billionaire casino magnate, and Israeli medical cannabis research financier, Sheldon Adelson. Some of the ads focus on the fact that children would have access to medical cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation. While the legislature had tried to pass a bill to open up access to certain low-THC strains of cannabis for patients with epilepsy and seizure conditions, the language of the bill may not actually open up access to low-THC cannabis for patients who are suffering.

Let’s get down to it – No Low-THC Cannabis Access Without Amendment 2

Purpose of Amendment 2 Forgotten in Political Fights

Unfortunately, many people have turned the vote on Amendment 2 into a political fight that has nothing to do with medical cannabis or patients with debilitating conditions. It has turned into a fight over the governors race, it has turned into a way for some to try and open casinos, and in all of this political fighting, sick patients still wait for legal access to medicine they need. And if Amendment 2 is not passed, patients who could benefit from low-THC cannabis may end up waiting for legal access to that medicine for a very long time.

SB 1030 Ineffective

Critics of Amendment 2 would like people to think that Amendment 2 would destroy the Sunshine State, when in fact, states that have approved medical cannabis have improved the lives of people suffering from horrible medical conditions. While Florida’s state legislators tried to pass a tightly restricted low-THC medical cannabis and CBD oil bill, because the wording of the bill, patients with epilepsy may never actually get access to medical cannabis. Patients with debilitating conditions such as epilepsy and conditions that produce seizures will not receive access to Charlotte’s Web, or similar strains, under SB 1030, because the federal government has no plans to allow it. While there is a bill in Congress, introduced by US Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), that would legalize medical hemp, many give the bill little chance of passing during this session.

Amendment 2 Best Hope for Patients

The language of Amendment 2 will ensure that patients have access to medicine that they need and that their doctor has recommended. Governor Scott and the Florida legislature would like you to believe that they have addressed the issue of medical cannabis, but the truth is, without the passage and enactment of Amendment 2, the closest thing any patient in Florida with epilepsy will get to cannabis is if the FDA approves clinical trials of GW Pharmaceuticals version of CBD, or if their doctor prescribes them Marinol pills which contain synthetic THC. These options are not adequate for many patients, and remain excessively expensive compared to the prices found in medical cannabis dispensaries in states that have legalized them.

The Hypocrisy of Some of Amendment 2’s Opponents

Caregivers are not drug dealers, and children with epilepsy deserve the right to have their condition adequately treated, even if that means using cannabis. Many of the same people and groups that endorsed and supported SB 1030, the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014, made the issue of low-THC medical cannabis exclusively about providing cannabis to children with epilepsy, but now that voters in Florida have a chance to actually open up legal access to medical cannabis to children with epilepsy, these same people and organizations are hypocritically turning around and complaining about allowing children to have access to this safe and effective medicine. Perhaps they feel most Floridians will forget the fact that in 2014, organizations like the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Medical Association supported legalizing the right of children with epilepsy to have access to certain strains of cannabis when the endorsed SB 1030.

Yes on 2 is Yes to Low-THC Cannabis for Epilepsy

If Floridians really want to help treat the conditions of children and others with epilepsy and other seizure conditions in an affordable, legal, and compassionate way, they will need to vote Yes on Amendment 2, as the legislature and federal government are not likely to pass legislation that would legalize access to any form of medical cannabis.