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Florida voters overwhelmingly approve medical marijuana amendment

Posted at 10:55 PM, Nov 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-15 09:30:20-05

Florida voters overwhelmingly passed amendment two, legalizing medical marijuana.

This amendment will allow people with debilitating conditions such as AIDS, Glaucoma, and PTSD access to the drug - with the approval of a licensed state physician.

Supporters say marijuana provides relief to those suffering from serious medical issues

Those who were against it, however, say there is no scientific proof marijuana helps anyone -- and that the amendment is poorly written and vague, and may give kids greater access to the drug.

Allen Mergaman, who supports amendment 2, says it will be beneficial to Floridians.

“There's so many people that it's going to help,” he says. “I mean glaucoma, cancer patients. My niece - her son is autistic and he uses it and it's amazing.”

State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who remained neutral on the issue, weighed in as well.

“You want it to be medical marijuana, which is what the voters wanted in a limited circumstance when people really need it,” he says. “Not to be available to kids with edibles and all these other permutations. I need to be what the voters intended.”

Florida will now be the 26 state to legalize marijuana for medical use.

Medical marijuana becomes legal January 3 2017, but the Department of Health has six months from that date to create rules and regulations on how it’s distributed.