Even before the world gets to know the winner of the 2016 US election, here comes a new winner. Florida becomes the latest entry among the list of medical cannabis states in the United States. This overrules the narrow defeat medical marijuana suffered in the southeasternmost US state two years back.
Amendment 2 got 71 percent support. It allows the medical use of cannabis for those who have critical medical conditions. Any constitutional amendment in Florida required at least 60 percent support for the win. Two years ago, medical cannabis won 58 percent votes, finishing just behind the required threshold.
This comes as a major setback for Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The GOP donor spent $1.5 million in the state and millions more in other states to stop the use of recreational pot. In 2014, he spent $5.5 million and became successful in keeping the legislation on hold. Florida sets an example by legalizing the use of medical use marijuana. According to Tom Angell of "Marijuana Majority," this comes as a major tipping point.
"With Florida's decision, a majority of states in the U.S. now have laws allowing patients to find relief with medical marijuana," the Washington Post quoted Angell as saying. "And these protections and programs are no longer concentrated in certain regions of the country like the West and Northeast."
There have already been 25 medical cannabis states, as well as the District. Florida joins in as the latest entry to the list. This means doctors in the state will now be able to prescribe marijuana for patients who are best suitable for it. It will, however, depend on the doctor's judgment that the medical use of marijuana would actually improve the patient's health condition.
Five states are going to decide the fate of the legalization of recreational pot. The states are California, Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona and Nevada. Three other states, North Dakota, Arkansas and Florida, were supposed to decide if marijuana should be used for medical purpose.
According to CBS News, the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is going to regulate the use of recreational pot in Maine. The state is going to allow people, 21 or older, to cultivate up to six pot plants at home. It will also allow the possession of 2 1/2 ounces of cannabis. It seems like more names will be added to the list of medical cannabis states.
