by Erin Gaylord, Kaylee Boyd, Autumn Murray, and Courtney Sullivan, Staff Writers
On Nov. 4, Florida voters will decide if their state will be the 24th to legalize medical marijuana.
The amendment, if passed, will allow for the use of medical marijuana for “individuals with debilitating diseases” as determined by licensed Florida physicians. It is important to notice that it does not authorize the use, possession or production of recreational marijuana. Centers that produce and distribute medical marijuana will be registered and regulated by the Department of Health, who will give identification cards to eligible patients and caregivers.
Marijuana helps maximize the output of chemicals our bodies already produce. According to WebMD, there are chemicals that the human body already makes that are “marijuana-like” and help with pain, inflammation and other processes of the body. Laura Borgelt, clinical pharmacy specialist at the University of Colorado, said, according to WebMD, that marijuana can help these natural chemicals, already in our body, to work better. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), scientific studies of cannabinoids—the active chemicals in marijuana—have shown the therapeutic benefits while aiming to minimize the harmful side effects, along with the “high,” caused by using marijuana.
Some of the illnesses that can be improved by marijuana use are: glaucoma, AIDS wasting syndrome, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy-induced nausea and certain seizure disorders, according to the US Food and Drug Association (FDA). However, side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, short-term memory loss and euphoria.
Two main cannabinoids are of interest when looking for the therapeutic benefits of marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive ingredient) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is what stimulates appetite from the drug and can help to reduce nausea, while decreasing pain, inflammation, and “spasticity.” CBD is also helpful in reducing pain and inflammation, while also helping to control seizures and possibly psychosis and addictions.
Medical marijuana can be smoked, vaporized, eaten or taken in a liquid extract, according to WebMD. The aim of medical marijuana is to gain the benefits of the plant without the side effects and “high” that its use creates. The FDA has not approved marijuana as a safe drug, but they have approved some drugs that contain THC and CBD, according to the NIH.
On the University campus, The Lions’ Pride ran a poll to determine student opinion on the matter. Out of 91 students and faculty members, 78 percent are for medical marijuana, 15 percent are against it and 7 percent are undecided.
“I believe if it’s used for good instead of abusing it, then I’m for it,” said Sophomore Savannah Cook.
Freshman Dennis Donnelly believes marijuana’s reputation is the major reason for why it is not already legal.
“If the proper regulations are put into a plan, then what risks are there? People who need medical marijuana should be entitled to it. It’s lobbyist and drug companies who demonize it,” said Donnelly.
Sophomore Franz Megie is unsure about medical marijuana.
“If there was more information available to the public about the subject, then I would have a opinion,” said Megie.
Alexandra Blaha, who suffers from seizures, said her doctor doesn’t know what is causing her seizures, but insists on raising her dosage of medication even though it has never been 100 percent effective. To this day, she continues to have incidents with seizures.
“If there are people that are out there that can benefit from it, why not legalize it to protect their wellbeing and make the option available without persecution,” said Blaha. “I have heard really good things about this medical marijuana that works well with people who have the same symptoms (involved with) seizures as myself.”
Matthew Craft, a recent criminal justice graduate and employee at the Learning Resource Center on campus, agrees.
“I have Multiple Sclerosis, a debilitating auto-immune disease and have suffered since I was 18 years old. I was introduced to marijuana in my early 20s and quickly discovered that the medicinal benefits were tremendous. Marijuana has lowered my pain, stress and anxiety levels and allowed me to live pain free and excel at my studies because of that,” said Craft. “I believe medical marijuana should be legal not only medically but recreational use.”
“It will be more difficult to control recreational use if it is passed medically,” said Dr. Terry Danner, a criminal justice professor at the University.
He said, by passing medical marijuana, people may think the recreational use of the drug does not have many health risks since it is passed as a prescription drug. In addition, if it is legal for medical purposes, there may not be as much judgment toward people who use marijuana recreationally.
Outside of the University campus, there has been a heated debate on the legalization of medical marijuana. In the United States, there has always been controversy over medical marijuana. In 1996, Colorado was one of the first states to legalize Marijuana for medical use. Over the past ten years, other states such as Montana, Arizona, Illinois and Michigan have also legalized medical marijuana. As of Oct. 20, 23 states have legalized medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
In Florida, there has been much debate about the legalization of marijuana for medical use. For Florida’s law to pass, at least 60 percent of voters have to be in favor of medical marijuana. Between October 7 and 12 a poll was issued by the University of Florida that showed 47 percent of the voters were opposed to it while 7 percent were undecided. If this poll is any indication of the general opinion in Florida, it is likely that medical marijuana will not be legalized.
Gov. Rick Scott believes there are some good attributes to marijuana, but overall it is not a good medicine to endorse.
“But, having seen the terrible effects of alcohol and drug abuse first-hand, I cannot endorse sending Florida down this path and I would personally vote against it,” said Scott, according to the BallotPedia website.
This past June, Gov. Rick Scott signed a law nicknamed, ‘Charlotte’s Web’ that allows physicians to prescribe a special strain of marijuana to decrease the number of epileptic seizures and help with symptoms of other diseases. This law also protects the identity of those who use medical marijuana.
“As a father and a Grandfather, you never want to see your kids suffer,” said Scott, according to BallotPedia.
Charlie Crist, the gubernatorial opponent of Gov. Rick Scott, has a different view on medical marijuana.
“This is an issue of compassion, trusting doctors and trusting the people of Florida,” said Scott, according to The Huffington Post. “I will vote for it.”
John Morgan, founder and chairman of Morgan & Morgan, is a persistent supporter for legalizing medical marijuana. Back in June, Morgan presented a petition in front of the Secretary of State to try to make it legal in all of America. It was not successful.
“This 60’s reefer madness attitude has to go away. We all know now that this is not a dangerous drug and it’s actually much safer than other drugs,” said State Senator Jeff Clemons from Lake Worth Florida, according to BallotPedia.
In less than a week, Florida will decide whether or not to legalize medical marijuana. If voters approve Amendment 2, the next step will be creating and working through the small details of the rules for using and handling the drug. The Department of Health will only have six to nine months to do this, according to the Miami Herald.
