The United for Care campaign came very close to legalizing medical marijuana in Florida during the 2014 Election. The initiative received roughly 58% of the vote (Florida requires 60% of the vote in order for the initiative to pass). The campaign took the loss in stride, regrouped, and has been working towards a 2016 effort. The campaign is on a roll right now, having gathered over half a million signatures already. Per The Joint Blog:
Over 500,000 signatures have been collected on United for Care’s initiative to legalize medical cannabis in Florida, Campaign Manager Ben Pollara tells us.
United for Care is required to collect 683,149 signatures by February 1st to place their initiative on the November, 2016 ballot, a number they’re well on track to make.
If placed on the ballot and passed into law, the measure would legalize the possession and state-licensed distribution of cannabis for medical purposes.
This is very big news for the patients of Florida. If the campaign keeps up this pace, they will have more than enough to get their initiative back on the ballot. Hopefully the second time is a charm. 2016 should be a much more friendly year for the initiative since 2016 is a Presidential election year, which has helped previous cannabis reform efforts. If you live in Florida, get active, because I can guarantee that the opposition is going to be very active again and spreading reefer madness like it’s going out of style (which it clearly is).
