Wait until 2016 they said. You can’t win in 2014 they said. I’m happy to report that national pundits and organizations that said Florida couldn’t win in 2014 have some explaining to do, as yet another poll has come out showing medical marijuana winning in Florida. The results of the poll aren’t as high as some of the previous polls which showed support as high as 88%, but the most recent poll shows Florida’s medical marijuana initiative winning by a landslide. Per the Orlando Sentinel:
Gravis Marketing, which has found voters hovering at or just below the 60 percent level needed to approve Amendment 2 in past surveys, found Floridians have passed that level now and 64 percent said they would “vote for the current amendment use of marijuana for certain medical conditions.” Just 26 percent were opposed and 10 percent said they were unsure.
Other polls have shown much greater support for medical marijuana in Florida — notably the Quinnipiac University poll, which found support as high as 88 percent. But the Quinnipiac Florida Poll did not ask specifically about Florida’s Amendment 2, but rather generically about medical marijuana.
The Gravis poll’s finding of a solid approval level strikes at Amendment 2 opponents argument that voters could overwhelmingly favor medical marijuana in principal without agreeing to the specific proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot.
I’m glad that Florida didn’t wait until 2016. Patients are suffering right now, and there is support to pass the medical marijuana initiative this year. I’m not guaranteeing victory on Election Day, because there is still a lot of campaigning to do, and polls are far from 100% accurate. However, with solid financial backing, support in the polls, and truth and compassion on the initiative’s side, things are looking promising. Florida requires at least 60% of the vote in order to pass a constitutional amendment.
