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The following is a written account
by Alvin Mites from his perspective. The 30th anniversary of the Shaffer commission went well. Every member of the state house and state senate was given information concerning Medical Marijuana. The days we spent in Tallahassee were the final days of session and thus many of the representatives were unavailable to speak with, however nearly all of those that I was able to speak with were very positive about medical marijuana, though the universal response I received from those in favor was that they were afraid to be the first to openly say that medical marijuana is a good thing for fear of retaliation. The message of "If Not Now, When, If Not You, Who" seemed to be misunderstood. While the time we spent lobbying was a major step in the direction of reclaiming Medical Marijuana in Florida, it is far from complete. We still need volunteers to help pass out literature, write letters to the editor of state newspapers, and write to your state representatives. While I only heard the excuse of this being the first time being presented with Medical Marijuana only once, it was a much more common response from representatives others spoke with.  The
second day during which we took over the rotunda with presentations
such as the one seen to the right, in the capitol building went quite
well. Amazingly the security and police present were more receptive
to the displays for Medical Marijuana, and Hemp in the capitol than
any other group. Which while promising is far from what should have
been. When poll after poll has shown that a majority of voters in
Florida support Medical Marijuana we should have seen many more Representatives,
“representing” the people. While correspondence is being
conducted as to which representatives will support a Medical Marijuana
bill, we ask that everyone write one letter to your state house representative
and state senator for your district letting those who speak for you
in the capitol speak the words of those they represent rather than
the words of those who wish to continue to arrest patients with debilitating
illnesses who find relief in a plant rather than a pill.If you wish to view more pictures of the people and presentations in Tallahassee then see our photo gallery at Yahoo Groups Here. |