Source: Dont Let Florida Go to Pot website: dontletfloridagotopot.

com
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FACTS VS. MYTHS
MYTH: The Florida amendment proposes marijuana for only serious medical conditions, such
as those suffering from cancer and AIDS.
FACT: The ballot summary states that medical marijuana is only for those with debilitating
diseases, but the ballot definition states that it will be acceptable for other conditions for which
a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would outweigh the potential risks for a
patient. This begs the question: what constitutes a debilitating disease? Other states with
medical marijuana laws have considered migraines, anorexia, muscle spasms, and even
menstrual cramps to be a debilitating disease that is treatable by marijuanaeven though all of
these conditions are treated by commonly accepted medical treatments.
MYTH: The Florida amendment requires a physicians prescription to obtain medical marijuana
from a medically controlled pharmacy.
FACT: No prescription is required to obtain medical marijuana. A patient only needs a
physician certification from a licensed Florida physician. Physician certifications are not
formal prescriptions accepted by reputable pharmacies; they are simply written recommendations
that can be used to buy marijuana at storefront dispensaries.
MYTH: The Florida amendment requires parental consent for a minor to obtain medical
marijuana.
FACT: The amendment allows a teenager to get a recommendation for medical marijuana
without the consent of a parent. The amendment allows a teenager to get a recommendation for
medical marijuana without the consent of a parent. Although Florida law requires consent when
treating minors, the amendment gives immunity (both civil and criminal) to physicians who issue
a recommendation to use marijuana. Other states have tighter requirements when it comes to
recommending to minors, such as requiring the physician to explain the risks and harms
associated with marijuana use and/or multiple physician assessments.
MYTH: Smoking marijuana is the only way to receive the medicinal properties of the plant.
FACT: Some components in marijuana have medicinal properties, but we shouldnt smoke the
plant in order to derive those benefits; just as we do not smoke opium to get the benefits of
morphine. In states with medical marijuana laws, the average user is a male in his 30s with no
terminal illness and a history of drug abuse (TJ OConnel, Long term marijuana users seeking
medical cannabis in California). Less than 5% of registered users in states allowing medical
marijuana have cancer or AIDS (Whos Really Smoking, Save Our Society From Drugs, April
2014 ). Residents of states with medical marijuana laws have abuse and dependence rates nearly
twice as high as states with no such laws (M. Cerda, Medical marijuana laws in 50 states).
MYTH: Marijuana is harmless.
FACT: Todays marijuana is far more potent than in decades past. In the 1960s and 70s, THC
levels of marijuana smoked by baby boomers averaged around 1%, increasing to just under 4%
in 1983, and almost tripling in the subsequent 30 years to around 11% in 2011. Regular
marijuana use, started in adolescence and continued into adulthood, can result in a loss of up to 8
IQ points. (Meier, et al. Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from
childhood to midlife.)
MYTH: Marijuana legalization will help the economy.
FACT: Marijuana legalization will increase public costs. For every $1 in alcohol and tobacco tax
revenue, society loses $10 in social costs from accidents all the way to health damage (National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). States such as Colorado have projected tax revenue
of $134 million for the fiscal year but have only produced 3.5 million in the first month,
prompting the Governor to ratchet back his projection to $20 million.