A marijuana plant (Pic by LancerenoK, via Fotopedia)
An unknown group is sending around a petition demanding that the Legislature consider a medical marijuana bill failed in the state House and Senate for the upcoming session. The petition already has more than 7,000 signatures.
The group’s petition “call[s] upon the members of the Florida House and Florida Senate to sign a discharge petition to permit a floor debate on the Joint Resolutions for Medicinal Use of Cannabis (SJR 1028 and HJR 353).”
The two joint resolutions would allow Floridians to vote on whether they want to legalize medical marijuana in the state during the 2012 election.
The petition explains that neither the House nor the Senate version of the resolution has been placed on the schedule of any committees they have been referred to.
“A discharge petition would permit a floor debate bypassing the committees allowing the Resolutions to be heard, debated, and voted on,” the group explains.
The organization is currently seeking 10,000 signatures; it has already increased its goal after hitting previous targets.
The medical marijuana resolution was introduced by state Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth. State Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, has sponsored the bill in the senate. Clemens told the Capitol News Service that the legislation was “a compassion issue.”
“It’s an issue of people in this state that are going through tough times and a lot of physical pain and if they want to use this particular drug as opposed to a more heavy prescription narcotics,” he told the News Service. “I don’t think there’s any reason why we shouldn’t let them.”
