Anti-medical marijuana group Drug Free America Foundation has taken it up a notch on their "Amendment 2 has loopholes that will lead to legalized marijuana" talking point by putting up a billboard attacking John Morgan.
Morgan, the Orland-based attorney and medical marijuana advocate who has poured millions of his own money into getting Amendment 2 passed, recently made headlines with a profanity-laced speech he gave a group of young voters during a post-debate party last week.
And while one would assume that would be the fodder for his opponents, it looks like the anti-medical weed folks are sticking to their loophole argument.
"Amendment 2 is riddled with loopholes: It is one thing to be compassionate; it's another to be reckless," the billboard says. "Does John Morgan know the difference?"
See also: John Morgan's Profanity-Laced Video: United for Care Responds
So far, it appears that the group is erecting the one billboard in Morgan's home town of Orlando.
When commuters driving down East Highway 50 (Colonial Dr.), they'll spot this:
Among some of the loophole arguments Drug Free America makes is that doctors will be able to prescribe marijuana to just about anyone claiming to suffer from any kind of ailment -- not just a serious one like ALS or cancer.
The group claims that because the ballot initiative allows that pot be prescribed for certain debilitating diseases as well as "other conditions," people will exploit the law and buy pot legally for any little pain they claim to have.
The group also says that medical marijuana will be much like the 2010 pill mills craze that hit Florida, with ant-medical weed sheriff Grady Judd claiming that pot shops will start opening next to elementary schools and high schools.
United for Care campaign manager Ben Pollara has said this is not the case.
"If there was any doubt, the Florida Supreme Court has already ruled that the amendment will only be used in cases of debilitating illness," Pollara told New Times in May. "The purpose of the amendment is to allow the medical use of marijuana for individuals with debilitating diseases as determined by a licensed Florida physician."
"The amendment specifically says: 'Nothing in this section authorizes the use of medical marijuana by anyone other than a qualifying patient,'" Pollara added.
As for the billboard, Pollara sees it as nothing but a way to shift the focus off the truth of the ballot and onto Morgan himself.
"The opposition has so far been focused on trying to trick the electorate into thinking this is about legalization and not medicine," Pollara said Thursday. "Now they want to run against a lawyer and not the issue at hand. We trust that the electorate is intelligent and compassionate. They continue to insult the voters at every opportunity."
The Drug Free group is the same group that said pot brownies would be the new date-rape drug.
"This campaign is about providing medicine to sick and suffering Floridians and that's what we'll talk about," Pollara said.
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