Pam Bondi may be all that stands between Florida residents and their medical marijuana, but the Republican attorney general could be enough to stop the legalization proposal in its tracks.
Bondi is trying to stop a proposal that would legalize medical marijuana in Florida, sending a petition to the Florida Supreme Court that outlines several challenges to ballot language and petitions. If the measure were to go through, Florida voters would be able to determine if medial marijuana would be legal, as it now is in a growing number of states.
The ballot measure was filed by People United for Medical Marijuana, a group led by Orlando lawyer John Morgan. Pam Bondi said the proposed ballot measure if misleading, and that even if the initiative were to pass it would still leave marijuana illegal under federal law
“It’s true scope and effect remain hidden,” Bondi argued in her petition to the court.
The petition is landing Bondi in hot water with her political opponents. United for Care, an organization running a statewide campaign to generate support for marijuana legalization, slammed her in a recent statement:
“It is not surprising that out of touch Tallahassee politicians like Pam Bondi continue to oppose compassionate health care policy in Florida. Just as politicians in the Florida Legislature refused to even give medical marijuana a hearing in the 2013 session, AG Bondi wants to deny Floridians the opportunity to even vote on this issue – despite numerous polls showing that an overwhelming majority of the state is supportive of the issue.”
Bondi has not been afraid to step into touchy debates. This summer she aired concerns about the implementation of Obamacare, saying guidelines for enrollment navigators were not stringent enough and could lead to fraud.
If Pam Bondi continues to stand against marijuana legalization, she could find herself with a shrinking group of supporters. A recent poll found that 58 percent of Americans now support legalizing marijuana , an all time high.
