What’s Next for FLCAN

Even though lawmakers did not take up the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act in 2013, Florida CAN isn’t daunted or distracted from our mission. We are more determined than ever to see safe, therapeutic access to cannabis for people in Florida.

You can check out our reports about the legislative session but in short it was exciting, eye opening and encouraging. One southwest Florida lawmaker started our meeting by saying he KNEW cannabis was Safer than alcohol. A second owns a nursery business, he knows cannabis is an up and coming market and he wants in too. The battle was half won – at least they know the truth and for some of them its important. Now, getting them to act on the truth… another in a series of challenging things for CAN to accomplish.

For now, Florida CAN is ready for the next chapter.

The addition of Florida trial attorney, John Morgan, onto the list of Floridians actively working to change cannabis laws puts Florida squarely on course for some sort of legal medical cannabis scheme. Whether through an act of the Feds, through our state legislature or by popular vote in November 2014, legal medical access is coming to Florida.

To support the efforts of Floridians to change cannabis laws, we took a lease on a wonderful office just west of US 1 in Melbourne, FL. We need help now getting the place ready for the public. You can follow our progress here on our blog, on this page dedicated to opening the office, on our website or on Facebook.

Whether it is a gathering place for training, a collection site for petitions, a workspace for talented writers, graphic artists, would be video producers or a fun place to host a Sunday members-only pot-luck dinner, the office is going to be a great addition to the Florida reform efforts.

Our soft opening is June 19.  By the soft opening, we plan to have programs in place, jobs for volunteers and an idea what hours make sense for our volunteers and staff. We hope the public will embrace our July 14 grand opening. Our grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 12:30 July 14. We hope you’ll mark your calendar and make an extra effort to be counted among the faithful who will see cannabis safe, legal and available in Florida.

Cathy and Bob Jordan work on Florida Cannabis Bills HB 1139 and SB 1250

Join Cathy and Bob Jordan as they travel to the Capitol to encourage support for HB 1139 and SB 1250. This is actually the fourth day of session.

Funny how things work…

Days in Tallahassee 20
Remaining Committees 7
Remaining Days for the bill to be heard 27
Remaining days of funding 10

Several years ago, I developed a short presentation on how to change the laws in Florida. There are really three ways to change the laws.

You can use the Courts, either through a lawsuit or an appeal after a conviction.
You can change the Constitution.
You can work through the legislature.

Today, Florida CAN President Cathy Jordan was with me here in Tallahassee. Members of the Democratic Women’s Club of Florida were in town to lobby on issues important to the group. This past September the club passed a resolution supporting therapeutic access to cannabis.

Over 150 women from around the state sat through panels, lobbyist training and workshops preparing for their lobby day. During a casual conversation a sister club member said, I sponsored the constitutional amendment to put cannabis protections in the constitution as part of the Constitutional Revision Commission.

I’ve joked from time-to-time about forgetting more about medical cannabis then most people will likely ever know, today, I was reminded there really are three ways to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Most medical cannabis supporters are familiar with the work of PUFMM, People United for Medical Marijuana. There campaign to collect the over half a million signature needed to put an amendment on the ballot never reached the threshold to get on the ballot.

In addition to collecting signatures, lawmakers have an additional avenue to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. The Joint House and Senate Resolutions we are working with this year is a fine example of how that works. Lawmakers introduce the proposed amendment, ideally the bill is debated and passed through committee, reconciled with a matching version in both the House and Senate, then gets the support of over 60% of the members on the floor.

The Florida Constitution allows for a commission to be appointed every twenty-years to make a comprehensive review of our constitution. The commission accepts amendments, debates them and then puts amendments on the ballot.

Much to our surprise a Democratic Women’s Club leader was the sponsor of our proposed constitutional amendment during the last commission.

Activist giants like Greg Scott, Toni Leeman and Kevin Aplin coordinated patients and doctors to speak at meets of the Constitutional Revision Commission in 1996. The group led an incredibly passionate and professional campaign to put protections to medical cannabis in the constitution. The amendment worked its way through the committee process and in the end failed to make the cut. In its final minutes, the commission addressed the issue of safe access to cannabis. While the committee agreed medical cannabis was an important issue, they did not believe it belonged in the Constitution, but charged the legislature to pass laws protecting patients.

Twenty-years, a generation of activists, 17 states passing medical cannabis, 27 have introduced hemp initiative.

I want to assure patients in Florida, we are exhausting every measure, pursuing every lead. We understand the pressure you face, we know to be sick is hard enough, to be sick and afraid to use a medicine that truly helps, is impossible. One mind at a time, we are making a way for you. Keep the faith.

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!