23536
Bluelight Crew
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/12/3867023/marc-caputo-medical-marijuana.html
Time and again, Florida’s Republican leaders have bashed Big Government, especially if it intrudes upon the doctor-patient relationship.
When it comes to Obamacare, that is.
But when it comes to medical marijuana, so far they’ve been all Big Government all the way.
The opposition to physicians recommending prescription cannabis isn’t just an example of political inconsistency in Tallahassee. It’s a sign that — unlike their opposition to Obamacare — GOP leaders are greatly out of step with voters, including rank-and-file Republicans.
As many as 70 percent of registered Florida Republicans said they favor medical marijuana, according to the most recent Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late November. Support was even higher among Democrats (87 percent) and independents (88 percent).
The divide between the politicians and voters is increasingly troubling to some Republicans.
“I don’t want the Republican Party to be called the anti-civil liberties party,” said Rick Wilson, a Tallahassee political consultant.
“Simply as a political hack,” he said with a touch of self-deprecating humor, “I don’t want our party to marginalize itself.”
Consider:
• Public sentiment is growing for outright legalization: 58 percent approve nationwide and a plurality of 48 percent support it in Florida, according to respective polls from Gallup and Quinnipiac.
• So far, 21 states and the District of Columbia have some form of medical marijuana. The number has been growing every few months, though pot is still illegal at the federal level.
• A proposed constitutional amendment by People United for Medical Marijuana might make the 2014 ballot in Florida. Proponents say they’ve gathered more than 1 million registered-voter petitions, 683,149 of which need to be verified by elections officials by Feb. 1. More than 375,000 have been approved so far. The number grows daily.
Wilson, inspired by a conservative National Review piece on marijuana decriminalization, made his case in the conservative website Ricochet on Tuesday — a remarkable act for a high-profile consultant who’s ostensibly bucking the very GOP establishment that signs some of his checks.
Wilson said opposition to his piece has primarily come from the evangelical community. He also suspects that the private-prison industry, which profits from the war on drugs, provides behind-the-scenes opposition to medical marijuana.
John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, said his group and other Christian conservatives oppose the prescription cannabis initiative because he worries it could lead to outright legalization, which has happened in Colorado and Washington. That could lead to more kids using pot.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/12/3867023/marc-caputo-medical-marijuana.html#storylink=cpy
Time and again, Florida’s Republican leaders have bashed Big Government, especially if it intrudes upon the doctor-patient relationship.
When it comes to Obamacare, that is.
But when it comes to medical marijuana, so far they’ve been all Big Government all the way.
The opposition to physicians recommending prescription cannabis isn’t just an example of political inconsistency in Tallahassee. It’s a sign that — unlike their opposition to Obamacare — GOP leaders are greatly out of step with voters, including rank-and-file Republicans.
As many as 70 percent of registered Florida Republicans said they favor medical marijuana, according to the most recent Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late November. Support was even higher among Democrats (87 percent) and independents (88 percent).
The divide between the politicians and voters is increasingly troubling to some Republicans.
“I don’t want the Republican Party to be called the anti-civil liberties party,” said Rick Wilson, a Tallahassee political consultant.
“Simply as a political hack,” he said with a touch of self-deprecating humor, “I don’t want our party to marginalize itself.”
Consider:
• Public sentiment is growing for outright legalization: 58 percent approve nationwide and a plurality of 48 percent support it in Florida, according to respective polls from Gallup and Quinnipiac.
• So far, 21 states and the District of Columbia have some form of medical marijuana. The number has been growing every few months, though pot is still illegal at the federal level.
• A proposed constitutional amendment by People United for Medical Marijuana might make the 2014 ballot in Florida. Proponents say they’ve gathered more than 1 million registered-voter petitions, 683,149 of which need to be verified by elections officials by Feb. 1. More than 375,000 have been approved so far. The number grows daily.
Wilson, inspired by a conservative National Review piece on marijuana decriminalization, made his case in the conservative website Ricochet on Tuesday — a remarkable act for a high-profile consultant who’s ostensibly bucking the very GOP establishment that signs some of his checks.
Wilson said opposition to his piece has primarily come from the evangelical community. He also suspects that the private-prison industry, which profits from the war on drugs, provides behind-the-scenes opposition to medical marijuana.
John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, said his group and other Christian conservatives oppose the prescription cannabis initiative because he worries it could lead to outright legalization, which has happened in Colorado and Washington. That could lead to more kids using pot.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/12/3867023/marc-caputo-medical-marijuana.html#storylink=cpy
