Politics & Government

New Medical Marijuana Petition Drive Begins in Florida

Will you sign?

Backers of a plan to legalize marijuana for medical use in Florida aren’t giving up.

A new petition drive aimed at getting the issue on the 2016 ballot officially kicked off Monday. That drive seeks to obtain 683,000 signatures from across the state in order to present a rewritten constitutional amendment proposal to voters in time for the next presidential election, WEAR TV reported.

While backers of legalized medical marijuana use faced defeat of Amendment 2 last November, the margin was slim. State law calls for approval by 60 percent of registered voters in order for an amendment to pass. Amendment 2 received 57.6 percent of the vote.

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This time around supporters say they’ve closed “loopholes” in their proposal that raised concerns in the 2014 election, New Times reported. The new petition, for example, requires parental consent for minors and calls for legalized use only by people who have debilitating medical conditions, among other tweaks.

United for Care, the group floating the petition, has a copy available for people to sign online. The form must be printed out, signed and mailed back in to count. Those who signed petitions for the 2014 amendment attempt are being asked to sign the new petition. Only registered voters in the state of Florida qualify to sign.

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Do you think medical marijuana use should be legal in Florida? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

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