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Medical Marijuana Activists Begin Gathering Signatures For New Ballot Measure

Amendment 2 failed to meet the 60% threshold in the 2014 election.
Brett Levin via Flickr
Amendment 2 failed to meet the 60% threshold in the 2014 election.
Amendment 2 failed to meet the 60% threshold in the 2014 election.
Credit Brett Levin via Flickr
Amendment 2 failed to meet the 60% threshold in the 2014 election.

The organization pushing for medical marijuana in Florida got a new ballot initiative approved by the Secretary of State Friday.  United for Care believes their new proposal will succeed where last year’s Amendment Two failed.

In the run-up to last year’s election, opponents of the initiative allowing limited medical use of marijuana called the proposal flawed—rallying around arguments that children would get access, felons could register as caregivers, and providers would be immune from malpractice claims.  United for Care Campaign Manager Ben Pollara is adamant these so-called loopholes never existed in the first place.

“However, having gotten second chance to do it,” Pollara says, “we made some changes to the amendment that essentially clarify those things that we said all along already existed in the amendment.”

To get on the 2016 ballot, the organization will need to collect 683,149 verified signatures by February first of 2016.  But they’re hopeful the legislature will take action on its own before then.

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Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.
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