Policy Analysis Draft 2:

Medical Marijuana: 3

Medical Marijuana in Florida

Irving Toruno

Florida International University

POS 4784

03/25/2021

Medical Marijuana in Florida

The Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative also known as Amendment 2 first appeared in 2014 ballot but due to limited support it ended up being defeated this is because the law only applied to those who were terminally ill and with at least a year to live. It later on reappeared on Tuesday November 18th, 2016 ballot and over 60% of the members voted it in as an initiated constitutional amendment and was approved. The amendment went into effect in January 3, 2017 The policy was mainly enacted to help the medical marijuana be used on patients only when the physician believed that it would be useful to outweigh the potential health risks for the patients.

The Florida Department of Health Agency’s spokeswoman stated that the agency was willing to follow the voters’ will once the constitutional amendment went into effect. By June 2017, the members of the Florida House and State had approved legislation to implement the amendment and thus the law became effective. This was completed by June 24, 2017. However, the law faced some criticism after its implementation. Members thought that the law making department was favoring just a few dispensaries that had ties to Florida legislators. Critics assert that the department are targeting to create some barriers into the market to the less fortunate and only focus on the wealthy white males politically connected.

Bibliography

Kilmer, Beau, and Robert J. MacCoun. "How medical marijuana smoothed the transition to marijuana legalization in the United States." Annual Review of Law and Social Science 13 (2017): 181-202.

Santamaria, Nicole. "Medical Marijuana Legislation in Florida: The Recommendation vs. Prescription Distinction for Healthcare Providers." Stetson L. Rev. 45 (2015): 537.

Smith, Jessica M. "Medical Marijuana: What Florida Health Care Providers and Their Attorne."