Tuesday, January 31, 2012

It's Now or Never

Days in Tallahassee 14
Remaining committees 7
Remaining Days for bills to be heard 29
Remaining days of funding 16

If you’ve been following my ramblings about this session you’ve read my complaints about the legislators only working three day weeks. This past weekend, I took advantage of the break and headed back to Melbourne. I suppose if you don’t much like the people you live with, traveling to Tallahassee and working from a hotel might be nice, me, I love my family and get terribly home sick.

While it was good to be home, since we were already in Melbourne, a quick trip to Boynton Beach for the Silver Tour presentation seemed like a great use of time.

Robert Platshorn brings together a great program including experts like Mary Lynn Mathre, RN., co-founder of Patients Out of Time; Mike Minardi, Esq.; Irvin Rosenfeld, the longest surviving medical cannabis recipient and Representative Jeff Clemens. Over 200 people attended the presentation including Jordan Malter, an associate producer with CNN Money.

Mary Lynn was brilliant as she talked about the emerging research on the endocannabinoid system. The Silver Tour ran live online and you can still view the program.

Last week, cannabis reform groups and drug policy reform supporters planned a coordinated day of action. Robert kicked off the day by encouraging attendees to make the calendar and program the number for Majority Leaders Andy Gardiner and Carlos Lopez-Cantera into their phone.

We are to the point where push is coming to shove. The only way HJR 353 will be heard this year if for us to flood the leadership with requests. No Republican wants to come out first and be seen as soft on crime. If we don’t act now, how many patients won’t be here next year?

Florida CAN has a plan for being here next year. We’ll raise awareness, meet with more stakeholders, raise money and hopefully, come back to support an even better bill. But, how many patients will we leave behind? How many people will lose their life or their sense or quality of life if we fail this year?

Changing the laws is a slow painful process. Three years, that is what they say it takes to get a hearing on a new bill. Three long, painful years. Unless something happens, unless a wave of support comes through like an unstoppable force.

Tomorrow we’re asking our friends and allies to join us in a day of action. www.FLDecides.org gives you the details, the numbers to call and asks you to e-mail me directly after you call!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Florida's Leadership Crisis

Day 13
Remaining Committees 7
Remaining Days to hear the bills 34
Remaining Funding - 17 days

While our calls and e-mails are having a tremendous impact on the reception I am getting in Tallahassee, it is apparent we have a leadership crisis.

Lawmakers are opening their eyes to the incredible impact this plant has on a variety of ailments. Personal stories and the sheer flood of e-mails is like a rising tide, it lifts all boats.

The problem is, Florida has a leadership crisis. Republican hold a firm majority in both the House and the Senate, since both HJR 353 and SJR 1028 are sponsored by Democratic, the leadership is in no hurry to act on our bills.

While committee chairs have a lot of pull, the agenda is set by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. There is one person from the House and one person in the Senate beside the Speaker and President who can give our bills the consideration they deserve.

No Republican is going to stand out front on our issue until the leadership gives the nod. We need an opportunity to put all the Republicans in the same room, face-to-face with experts and patients. The perfect way to make that happen is a caucus workshop.

At the prompting of the Majority Leaders, the entire group of elected republicans will attend a caucus meeting. At these meetings, they hear from experts, discuss strategy, and receive their marching orders.

February 1, 2012, we are creating a coordinated statewide day of action. We need everyone to make just two simple phone calls.

February 1 we need people to call Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner at 850-487-5184; then call House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera at 850-488-1993.

Here is a simple script you can follow. When the aide answers the phone,

Introduce yourself and tell them what part of the state you are from.
Explain what you have learned about medical cannabis or the effect medical cannabis has on your life or that of your loved one,
Here’s the important part,
Ask the Majority Leader to hold a caucus hearing so their members can get the same education about the benefits of cannabis you received.

We know cannabis is good medicine. We know cannabis is a safe medicine. The medical use of cannabis has stood the test of time. This is no new medicine. This isn’t even a new policy; 17 states already have protections for patients using cannabis.

Now we need to make sure the leadership hears from enough people to tip the balance to overcome our leadership crisis.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

I’m Just a Party Guy

Day 11
Remaining Committees 7
Remaining Days to hear the bill 36
Remaining funding 19

Most of the time when you hear that you think “Let the good times roll.” Not in the Capital. Here, a party guy means until the majority of his or her peers are on board, no matter what the individual thinks, they won’t vote their conscience.

That has to be the most frustrating part of the work up here. In those one on one meeting you learn lots of things. I now know three Representatives that behind closed doors admit to having used cannabis. Regardless, they are not going to buck the leadership.

Last night I was just too exhausted to post a blog entry. All day at the Capital, dinner with a trusted advisor and several hours of research and prep work later, there was simply no more energy left.

Yesterday was a good day. Nearly 500 people reached out to their lawmakers. Florida lawmakers spent yesterday bragging about making Florida the premiere state for Veterans. We will welcome you with open arms as long as the medicine you use to treat your phantom limb pain or PTSD isn’t cannabis. Never fear, if you break the law by smoking cannabis for your PTSD we’ve got a program for that too.

As a movement we have got to get the Republican leadership involved in our cause. We have to get the Cancer Society, the Alzheimer’s Society and other important stakeholder on our side. We aren’t done in Tallahassee, but neither is the real work of getting support groups, researchers and medical associations to sign off.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Are we having fun yet?

Day 10
Remaining Committees – 7
Remaining Days to be heard 37
Remaining funding – 20 days

The experience here in Tallahassee is hard to beat if you like this sort of thing. One of our board members asked me last week if I was having fun. Hhmmm, if you like working 15 hours a day with a couple breaks for meals and sleeping in a hotel, then yes. If you think talking to decision makers about creating policy is cool; then, we are definitely having fun.

I mentioned earlier that session is sixty days. The countdown doesn’t pause for weekends, so it is quite disturbing to me lawmakers work a 3-4 day work week. The House of Representatives didn’t even meet today; the Senate in its defense handled some big stuff today. Privatization of prisons in Florida was a major area of debate today.

Two thoughts come to mind as I contemplate the 3-4 day work week are lawmakers are enjoying as the days of session count down.

First, I used today to make appointments to meet with the lawmakers on our committee schedule. Yesterday, I diligently researched 19 lawmakers, standing ready to make appointments today for the remainder of the week. Imagine my surprise when I was told in some offices, the member has no more appointments available through the end of session. We are forty-six days to the end of session and of those days lawmakers will only work in Tallahassee 29 based on what we have seen. No wonder they don’t have time to meet with constituents.

And then there is the idea the Senate handled important business today. The House members didn’t even come back until today. If people are use to the House and Senate not doing business on Friday’s and Monday’s is this a way to reduce civic participation?

Since today was quite at the Capital, I spent the day building strategies with People United of Medical Marijuana, Robert Platshorn and his Silver Tour, SSDP and the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy. We are calling all supporters together to push the legislators to educate themselves about this plant.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

When The Choir Sings

Day 9
Remaining Committees – 7
Remaining Days to be heard – 38
Remaining funding – 21 days

I’ve worked with a number of wonderful people in the drug reform movement who say they don’t like to speak at hemp festivals and pot rallies. They feel as though they are just “speaking to the choir” at those events. Over the years, as the number of people supporting safe, legal access to cannabis increases, it seems, more people qualify as converts.

So, in a fellowship you have converts, but it is the choir singing that will often move you as much, if not more, than the spoken message.

The choir of supporters in Florida have begun to sing. Nearly 1000 people sent e-mail messages to key members in the House and the Senate. Those voices moved two lawmakers who agree we should let the voters decide.

I feel pretty blessed to be here, seeing the lawmakers come to understand what it is we know about this plant. Being away from home is hard, even when the work is this important. I stayed in Tallahassee to make some strategic meetings making me more than a little homesick.

Each week we have identified select targets for educational efforts. This week we’ve adopted a pretty ambitious agenda. From our target list of Senators and House members, we’ve identified 600 supporters from their districts. If we can move our choir to share their story with their own personal representative and invite their neighbors to do the same, we will create the avalanche of support we need to pass a medical protection bill this year.

My job, as I go door-to-door meeting with these lawmakers is to listen for their hidden fears and find a way to move them. We already know the greatest misperception we have to overcome is the idea Floridians don’t support safe, legal access to cannabis medicine.

On the average, when we send out a “request for action”, a narrow percentage of people actually open the e-mail and take action. If only 1 in 20 of the people we asked to contact their lawmaker takes action, only 30 letters will be sent.

Do you believe the voice of 30 people is enough to move lawmaker in a state with nearly 18 million people? Surely, the walls of Jericho fell with just the blast of a trumpet and in this world of infinite possibilities nothing is impossible, but I believe we need more people to join the chorus.

Sometimes the choir sings, sometimes we all sing along.

Today, we need to all sing along. What are you waiting for? When will you talk to your neighbor about writing a letter, your barber, the stock boy and cashier? When will you call upon your congregation and office friends? If you wait for someone else to carry the message, we will be waiting another year for safe access for our patients.

Every day I wear a couple cannabis leaf lapel pins on my suit jacket. In the halls, in the elevators, in line at the cafeteria in the Capital, I am constantly asked about them. Last night, I went to a college bar with a former NORML board member. No one seemed to notice the embroidered pot leaf on my shirt. In the bars, in the streets, among the people this is not an issue, people already agree with you.

It takes a lot of courage to contact those lawmakers each day. It took a lot of strength for Cathy to come here with her caregiver to go door-to-door among scoffers. It is hard being here, away from a family I adore, dogs that always miss me and a home I love.

Yes, it is hard, it is a little scary to come out of the closet and show your true colors, but for now, we need you to join the choir and sing along! Don’t be afraid, it is the right thing to do.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Perception is Reality

Day 7
Remaining Committees – 7
Remaining Days to be heard – 40
Remaining funding – 23

There is an old saying about never eating sausage after you’ve seen how they make it. Tallahassee is a bit like that.

Today was spent playing catch up. The House was consumed with redistricting and only a few committees had business in the Senate. Our constitution set the 60 days legislative session, apparently that is consecutive days, so while lawmakers are nowhere to be found, the countdown to the end of sessions proceeds.

Lawmakers are home for a long weekend, little to no business on Monday either; but our work continues.

The theme for the week was: in Tallahassee perception is reality. I’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring the idea, meditating on its meaning and trying to see through the mystery.

Perception is reality. For now, the perception is the public in Florida doesn’t care about medical cannabis. When the CNN Money special runs early in February showing Robert Platshorn’s Silver Tour meeting at a synagogue in Boca, when they get overwhelming calls and letters of support, or when they are faced with a life threatening illness of their own they will reconsider.

In my down time today, I did some research on the 1978 Controlled Substance Therapeutic Research Program. This bill, introduced by Representative Lee Moffitt had an interesting history. Like our bills, the 1978 bill was assigned to numerous committees. After a month of languishing it was sent to a subcommittee – never a good sign.

Then something changed. Suddenly, the research act was withdrawn from its committees and within days was calendared for a vote on the House floor. The Senate picked up the bill, withdrew it from all of the committees in the Senate and again it passed with little opposition.

Perception is reality. Had we been on the outside watching the 1978 bill, we would have been convinced it didn’t have a chance.

Representative Moffitt is best known these days for his work with the Lee Moffitt Cancer Research Center. I sought him out this week when I knew he was in the Capital. He agreed to meet with me next week to share with me what happened. Why did those 1978 lawmakers suddenly change their perception of the bill?

With your e-mails, calls and letters, we are changing the perception lawmakers have about cannabis. They are beginning to see the light.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Making Tracks

Day 6
Remaining Committees – 7
Remaining Days to be heard – 40
Remaining funding – 24 days

Florida Cannabis Action Network President of the Board, Cathy Jordan, spent three days here in Tallahassee last week. As a person surviving with Lou Gehrig’s Disease she is truly an inspiration. Although she is wheelchair bound and requires constant assistance from her caregiver Adam, she made meeting after meeting.

Non-smoking hotels means if smoking cannabis is your medicine, you have to make alternative arrangements to medicate. In the cold, without proper medication, two sick friends stuck in the hotel and Cathy still made meeting after meeting.

When you work with people like that, complaining seems a little juvenile. That aside, being here is hard work. Long days, high stakes, add lots of walking and more than a little stress. We know how important our success is to the future of Florida.

A last minute decision on the part of the House Judiciary committee pushed back the committee hearing from 8 am to 9. Who knew. That extra hour of sleep would have been welcome; but watching the committee work was worth the early morning.

This morning, Preventing Deaths from Drug- related Overdoses HB 125 sponsored by Representative Bernard was on the agenda. In New Mexico, a similar bill was passed in 2005. It was part of a strategy by drug policy reformers to educate the legislature. Although Representative Bernard is a democrat, the bill enjoys bipartisan support. This bill passed easily through committee this morning. It was the support by law enforcement agencies that peaked my curiosity. Representative Bernard agreed to meet next week to give us advice on how to build those bridges with unlikely allies.

The same bill was introduced by Representative Bernard last year. It passed through all of its committees but didn’t make it to the floor for a vote. Not encouraging but a reality here in Tallahassee.

The Florida Senate was in session both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, so today was my first opportunity to see them in committee. The more I watch bills make tracks though the committee the more clear it is how much we need leadership support.

If Senator Haridopolis and Speaker Cannon or the Governor doesn’t push for medical cannabis, it is unlikely our bill will be heard in the first committee. We aren’t done yet, but success will only happen with a ground swell of support.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A Day in the Life of a Bill

January 18, 2012

Day 5
Remaining Committees 7
Remaining days to be heard 41
Remaining funding 25 days

Yesterday, I promised to talk more about the committee process. Most of our government business at all levels of Government takes place at the committee level. State Government works on a tight schedule and with the sheer volume of bills they consider each year, committees run tightly.

The only thing the legislature is required to do annually (according to the Constitution) is pass a balanced budget. Every ten years, the legislative session starts early in order to accommodate the other mandate required of them, redistricting.

Because of redistricting our session started early this year. A typical session begins in February and runs for 60 days. Despite the early start, our regular session lasts 60 days. If lawmakers fail to pass a budget and redefine the legislative boundaries during the regular session a special session must be called.

Members may begin filing bills in the fall prior to the legislative session. For weeks prior to the regular session legislators attend “committee weeks”. Many of the bills that were pre-filed made their way through committees prior to the beginning of session.

House members are limited to six bills each, while Senators have an unlimited number of bills they can file. With 120 members in the House, over 600 bills jockey to be heard each session. The role I’ve been sent to accomplish is vital to the passage of a bill. Bills require someone who can shepherd them from committee to committee.

The Speaker or President of the Senate appoints committee chairs. Chair appointments bring a lot of power and attention. I’ve written before about how important it is to get leadership on board. If the leadership doesn’t believe in a bill, the Chair will ignore it.

So far this week I’ve been talking members of the Criminal Justice committee in the House. There are 15 people on the Criminal Justice Committee, 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Since the bill sponsor is a Democrat, my work this week was assuring we’ll get all the Democratic votes in the committee. With five votes in our pocket, we simply need to find 3 Republicans to support the bill in order for it to pass the first committee.

The big hurdle is getting the Chair to hear the bill. Perception is reality in Tallahassee. Lawmakers perceive their constituents don’t support medical access. The other perception is if a Chair hears a bill, they support the bill.

Our work is bearing fruit. Today I met with a Democrat who said, “If you had asked me about this bill two weeks ago, I’d have said no. Since then I’ve had a number of calls and e-mails asking me to support it. I did the research and now believe this is an issue that has merit and I support the bill.” The nearly 1000 e-mails generated through www.FLDecides.org is making a difference.
For this legislation to pass this year, we need an avalanche of support- lucky for us avalanches do happen. Perhaps since we’re in Florida, its more appropriate to look for the perfect storm. Either way, without the calls and letters you’ve generated, success would not be possible.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

How a Bill Becomes a Law

I got over my Tallahassee trepidation pretty quickly. Traveling up here on Martin Luther King Day was pretty challenging. It’s a long trip to Tallahassee from Melbourne; heck, it’s a long trip from just about anywhere. On the drive it seemed to me putting our capital so far from the mass majority of its citizens sends the message. It appears to me it would be easy to separate yourself from your constituents on that long drive.

Today totally met my expectations. It was about learning. Little things like how to function for 27 days in a hotel room and bigger things, the best way to get to the Capital; just a learning day.

My first objective today was to learn the rules. My appointment with Representative Workman wasn’t until 2PM so I had time to stop by the local office supply store; grab a shuttle to the capital and introduce myself to Senator Bullard’s staff.

With time to spare a stop to visit to Representative Clemens was in order. He’s a dedicated public servant with a terrific legislative aide, Beth to assist him. The Representative was between meetings when I popped in to say hi. It is refreshing to hear his passion. He is prepared to continue to raise this as an issue as long as he serves in office. What a blessing.

Senator Bullard’s legislative staff kept me for over 90 minutes. The Senator met with FL CAN’s president, Cathy Jordan just last week. The staffers were awesome. We covered a lot of ground. One of the things I wanted to learn was what holes need filled in our lawmaker’s education about cannabis.

Last week a friend of FLDecides, our medical cannabis program asked “bill SJR 1028 I looking at the tracking and it says this: 01/10/12 S Introduced -SJ 85 Tuesday, January 10, 2012 8:28 AM -12/08/11 S Referred to Health Regulation; Judiciary; Budget; Rules -SJ 85 Thursday, December 08, 2011 11:20 AM.
What does this mean?”

There are lots of sources to learn how a bill becomes a law but in short, once a bill is filed (introduced) it is referred to committees. In most legislative bodies, the real work happens in committees. Bills introduced in the House are given a H, while Senate bills start with an S. The typical bill goes through the committee process, getting changed and tweaked along the way. Identical bills have to go through both the House and the Senate committees before it goes to the “floor” for a vote.

If the leadership, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House or the Governor really like a particular bill, a bill is likely to sail through the committee process in time to be signed into law by the Governor. On the other hand, if the leadership hates a bill, it will sit – this is often called a “pocket veto”. The bill sits in the Chairpersons ‘pocket’ meaning it never gets heard.

Last year, Representative Clemens’ bill HJR 1407 didn’t have a Senate version. Since there was no Senate version, the bill never got a hearing. Currently we have HJR 353 in the House and SJR 1028 in Senate.

The leadership plays an important role in the legislative process. They, the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House, assign the bill to committees. In the House, Speaker Dean Cannon assigned HJR 353 to three committees, Criminal Justice, Health and Human Services and Judiciary. The Senate has four committees to get through Health Regulations, Judiciary, Budget and Rules.

We have until the 50th day of session, February 28, 2012 to move these two bills through seven committees. Once the bill passes with a favorable recommendation through all of the committees it goes to the full legislative body. The House and Senate each must pass the bill with a 2/3 majority. With 120 members in the House, we must get 81 votes in the House to put the issue on the ballot. In the Senate, with 40 members, we’ll need 27 votes.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the committee process, what we can expect from the legislature and FL CAN’s goals this session.

Tallahassee Trepidation

Thursday January 12, 2012
The last few days the reality of spending a month in Tallahassee is really hitting home. The trip to Tallahassee -350 miles one way – doesn’t lend itself to coming home much during session. There is so much to do in Tallahassee, and I don’t mean sight-seeing, it seems senseless to make the drive back to Brevard.

Session started Tuesday, Cathy Jordan, our president went up for the first week. Cathy knows her way around the Capital – she has represented this plant, herself and the plight of patients in Tallahassee and Washington, DC. Cannabis couldn’t have a better representative in Tallahassee.

She went up with her husband Bob, fellow Vietnam vet Frank D and caregiver, Adam. Frank arrived in Tallahassee with the flu. After days of preparation and a new suit, Frank was stuck in his room for the first two day. It made me realize how precious our time in Tallahassee is during session.

How can I make the most of every moment in Tallahassee? There are thousands of patients who suffer every day because they won’t break the law by using this medicine. Those already using cannabis, an untold number of Floridians, are placing their liberty at risk to protect their health.

I feel the weight of their fear. Why should someone be afraid to use a simple plant? I get so angry when someone calls cannabis the “demon weed” or some such. Do they not know according to the Bible in Genesis 1:29 “And God said , Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” I like the King James Version best, other versions say for you it shall be food. King James says meat – as hemp seeds are the second highest source of protein behind soy, I’d say meat is appropriate.

So, how do I prepare myself to represent this plant?

There is the practical, get those comfortable shoes resoled, print plenty of business cards. The real important stuff, hug the boys more, make more time to talk to them each day before I leave, tell my husband how much I love and appreciate him. Take lots of deep breaths, through my nose and believe with the help of cannabis supporters around the state, we will make the most of every day in Tallahassee.