Florida’s Marijuana Legalization Fails In The 2014 Election Results, Amendment 2 Supporters Vow To Try Again

Florida’s marijuana legalization effort went to pot in the final 2014 elections results. Although Amendment 2 supporters are sorely disappointed, they vow to try again in the future.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, the race to legalize medical marijuana in Florida was quite a close one. The requirement for Amendment 2 to pass was 60 percent but only around 57.5 percent of voters believe weed should be used for the sick and the disabled. But already, Washington D.C. is assumed to be a shoe-in and the polls for Oregon and Alaska are still calculating their numbers.

[UPDATE: The election results for Oregon’s Measure 91 have come in. Alaska’s recreational marijuana legalization results have just started pouring in.]

During the summer, the fight for Florida’s marijuana amendment also seemed like it was a shoe-in. Polls showed that around 88 percent of Floridians supported the idea, but then $6.5 millions dollars came in from Vegas casino tycoon Sheldon Adelsen to buy negative campaign ads. The “No On 2” political ads had a leaked party video showing the primary backer of medical marijuana, millionaire personal injury attorney John Morgan, shouting profanities during a drunk party full of campaign staffers.

Florida’s marijuana legalization effort began to face more scrutiny and opponents attacked the language that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for any major medical condition. Some opponents even claimed that the amendment would allow minors to get hold of marijuana through loopholes. The negative campaign ads had the effect of dropping polls to an average of 57.3 percent — even before the early 2014 elections results even began streaming in.

But John Morgan is already vowing to try again during the 2016 elections. His Morgan and Morgan law firm spent $5 million campaigning for Amendment 2, but he believes that older voters were the reason that Florida’s marijuana legalization effort failed in the 2014 election. Younger voters are more likely to vote in favor of marijuana, and the voter turn out is typically higher during presidential elections like the 2016 election.

“That’s why this turnout is so key. If the young people turn out and vote, we win. If they don’t, we could potentially lose,” Morgan said, according to WFTV. “Millions of dollars have been floated into this state for the purpose of defeating medical marijuana, but Florida is not for sale.”

John Morgan believes so strongly about the issue because it’s personal for his family. Morgan’s brother uses chocolate-infused marijuana twice a day to deal with spasms and the pain of paralysis. But if it helps Florida’s marijuana legalization effort, Morgan says he’s willing to change the wording of a future attempt in order to get it passed into law.