TALLAHASSEE. Fla
Wednesday January 21, 1998
See: Florida  Group Organized to Campaign for Fall Initiative For Medical Marijuana and

Medical Marijuana Advocates Accuse California AG Lungren of Lying About Prop. 215 then Lying to Cover-up the Lies

and Editorial from the Boca Raton News: Legalize 'Pot' For Pain, But Not In Constitution
Without a hearing or any formal consideration of the facts, Florida's governor and cabinet unanimously vowed Wednesday to fight an attempt to amend the state's constitution to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. The governor, state attorney general and other executive branch leaders, unanimously approved a resolution denouncing efforts led by Floridians for Medical Rights, a Fort Lauderdale-based group that wants to put the issue before Florida voters in November.

As usual, opponents avoided any substantive consideration of the issue by arguing that allowing medicinal use is simply a ploy toward legalizing the drug across the board. "We are sending a convoluted message to our children at a terrible time," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Director Tim Moore told cabinet members. "We couldn't pick a worse time to send this mixed message." So, we will tell our children that it is morally just to arrest sick and dying and disabled people.

Betty Sembler, head of a group opposing legalized marijuana and based in St. Petersburg, Florida, said her group would fight the petition before the Florida Supreme Court. "We are forming grass roots organizations of concerned citizens across the state to carry our message, the truth about the so-called medical marijuana," Sembler said.

The Florida petition would allow individuals to obtain and use marijuana for specific medical purposes when certified as medically appropriate by a licensed physician.

Toni Leeman, chairman of Floridians for Medical Rights, said she was surprised to learn the resolution was passed without hearing from any medical authority.   "Marijuana has been used as a medicine for thousands of years, but it's only in the past 60 years that it has been made illegal," Leeman said.

As reported here, Leeman's group is trying to collect the 45,000 signatures needed to trigger a state Supreme Court review. The group then needs at least 428,000 signatures to get the proposal on the ballot.