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!
Showing posts with label Andy Gardiner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andy Gardiner. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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.
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.
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