The fate of medical marijuana is still up in the air in Florida, where a madcap band of varied interests—some highly monied, some unfoundedly fearful—narrowly defeated a popular medical marijuana referendum.
Amendment 2, which would have legalized medical marijuana, passed with 58 percent of the vote, but since some sly mofos in the state legislature changed the approval requirement for amendments from a tad over 50 percent to a full 60 percent, it didn't pass.
And even if it had, it very well could have suffered the fate of Amendment 1, an environmental lands law that overwhelmingly passed but was bastardized beyond recognition by state lawmakers this past spring. Even so, proponents are gearing up to get medical marijuana on the ballot again in 2016.
But now medical marijuana has an ally that conservative lawmakers really shouldn't blow off: veterans.
Research is underway on the effectiveness of medical marijuana on post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
“PTSD is a debilitating illness and it's for real and it's a problem,” said Garyn Angel, CEO of Magical Butter, a Port Richey-based company sponsoring of the event. “If you watch what's happened with the suicide rate for veterans, it's staggering.”
On Saturday, a group is holding a 5k "Cannathon," the first of its kind in the region and state, near MacDill Air Force Base.
The aim of the event, organizers say, is to, "help veterans, their families, caregivers and community members understand what PTSD is and know that there are specific treatments that can help improve and save lives."
Proceeds from the event will help Mathew Young, a local veteran who was arrested, well, using marijuana to treat his PTSD under the advisement of an apparently shoddy lawyer who misled him. Two of three charges against Young have been dropped, but he faces up to five years in prison if found guilty on the remaining charge if convicted.
The event starts at 9 a.m. at Gadsden Park in Tampa.
Find out more about Saturday's event, and register, here.
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2015.