In Florida, medical marijuana legalization efforts have led to the Supreme Court in Florida, announcing that they will be holding a hearing in December for a legal weed amendment. John Morgan, of the firm Morgan & Morgan and chairman for United for Care, announced that he will be matching all donations made to the cause. He also explained why the fight for medical marijuana affects his own family, including his brother, Tim Morgan.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , in the past, Florida’s marijuana legalization efforts have been opposed by cops who claim legal pot will cause crime .
Unfortunately, those who want to make medical marijuana legal in Florida suffered quite a setback during the final 2014 election results. 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. This was quite a surprise, since early polls showed around 88 percent of Floridians supported medical marijuana, but negative campaign ads managed to attack both John Morgan and the legal weed movement.
Almost a year ago, Morgan vowed to try again during the 2016 election, and he believes the presidential election will draw out the younger voters who are more likely to vote in favor of medical marijuana legalization .
“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 at the time. “Millions of dollars have been floated into this state for the purpose of defeating medical marijuana, but Florida is not for sale.”
On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court announced an oral hearing which would discuss another measure to legalize medical marijuana. The new amendment is largely based upon the previous Amendment 2, but the Associated Press says the high court “must decide whether or not the amendment is misleading and whether it complies with single-subject requirements.”
In order to get on the 2016 ballot, the new marijuana amendment must have hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition. The deadline for this petition is closing in, February of 2016, and supporters of Florida’s medical marijuana amendment must collect more than 683,000 signatures by that time.
In response, John Morgan is saying he will match any donations to the People United for Medical Marijuana by a 9 to 1 ratio, meaning that if you give $10 he will donate $90. As of this publishing, the fundraiser has already pulled in $24,951.
According to the Broward Palm Beach New Times , Morgan is also explaining his story to the public so they understand why he is putting so much money toward Florida’s medical marijuana legalization movement. Tim Morgan suffered a spinal injury, which has him stuck in a wheelchair, and he claims the only major relief he can get is when he is smoking weed .
“I started doing this because of my brother and father,” Morgan said in a statement. “During his last days, my father was able to find relief with medical marijuana. My brother, Tim, is a hardworking family man who should not have to suffer or live like a criminal. Like the majority of voters in Florida, I want sick and suffering patients like my brother to have the option to legally use medical marijuana. Over the past two years, I’ve met so many people across our state that also need safe, legal access to medical marijuana. We are going to make sure that happens.”
In the past, John Morgan has donated $2.8 million of his own money toward legalizing weed. Medical marijuana is currently legal in 23 states and Washington, D.C.
I’m serious about bringing #MedicalMarijuana to FL! Do your part & contribute if you can: http://t.co/Fo1wyqylHS pic.twitter.com/cEHwk7TSnt
— John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) October 8, 2015
[Image via the Daily Beast ]