Group says amendment 2 will legalize pot with little regulation; Protests continue over shooting death of unarmed black man in Clair-Mel

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Michelle Williams, community activist with Black Lives Matter

By Rob Lorei

On the first part of Radioactivity Tuesday we discuss Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana in Florida, and the group who is opposed to it. Our first guest is Jessica Spencer, spokesperson for the vote no on 2 campaign, who says that the amendment language would down the road lead full legalization of marijuana with little regulation. Jessica Spencer has a PhD in Education in Organizational Leadership. She received her undergraduate degree in criminology from the University of Tampa.

 

For the past six days there have been protests in the area near where a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an unarmed black man Levonia Riggins who was a suspected marijuana dealer. Riggins was 22 years old and worked at a nearby convenience store.Black Lives Matter protestors blocked traffic the intersection of 78th St. and Rideout in the Clairmel section of Hillsborough County yesterday in a demonstration . The protestors want the officer who killed Riggins to be fired. Today we were joined by Michelle Williams, who active in the Black Lives Matters movement, to talk about the protests and what happened Levonia.

2 Responses to “Group says amendment 2 will legalize pot with little regulation; Protests continue over shooting death of unarmed black man in Clair-Mel”

  1. 420CancerKiller

    I had listened to your interview with Jessica Spencer from the No On 2 campaign and would like to provide you with some more information on this subject. I’m an advocate for Medical Cannabis and am for the use of Cannabis as medicine. Below are some answers to a few of your questions that Jessica had a hard time answering:

    1.Other No On 2 donors – Mel Sembler. I’m pretty sure his money may come from Sheldon Adelson. Sheldon was the main donor of 2014. These guys are linked with casinos, so of course gambling and alcohol based organizations aren’t for it. They know Cannabis is healing this nation of toxins and will take a huge hit from medical Cannabis.

    A little off subject but good info: Colorado alcohol use has gone down every year since legalization and so has pharma use. Medicaid saved over 120 million dollars in 2013 throughout our country because patients were using Cannabis instead of pharma or being treated successfully without the use of pharmaceutical medication or hospitals.

    2. They say we are trying to pass full legalization, this is false because California was the first state to pass Medical Cannabis Prop 19 in 1996 and 20 years later they still don’t have full legalization. Full blown lie. Colorado passed medical in 2000 and didn’t become full legalization until 2013.

    3. No medical value?? I can give you so many links showing it has more medical value than any medicine on this planet, but this one will say it all.

    http://www.tikun-olam.info

    I’m a filmmaker working on the movie “Caring For Christa” which is based on the true stories of people throughout the U.S. using Cannabis to beat Cancer. I’m also a huge advocate for medical cannabis and can provide you with any factual information needed. I don’t use drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or any toxins. I ingest juiced wheatgrass in the morning and drink water all day. I’m a kind person with a huge heart in Gods love and I’m looking forward to the passage of Amendment 2 so we can start helping the sick, needy, and uneducated. I’ve been studying Cannabinoids for 15+ years learning from the great studies of scientists and doctors including Raphael Mechoulam, Dr. Robert Melamede, and Dr. William Courtney. I’ve also attended Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California to learn about Cannabis. I’ll leave you off with this one thing, every human has an Endo-Cannabinoid system, when Cannabis is ingested or used in any form the Cannabinoids fit into our CB1 and CB2 receptors like puzzle pieces to help alleviate whatever disease or illness our body is going through. Cannabinoids have anti-tumor, antimicrobial,antibiotic, and so many other anti-properties. I’m actually going to attach a picture with many of the benefits of each Cannabinoid. If you would ever like to interview me or need more information contact me anytime. Thank you for your time and God bless.

    Reply
  2. Homer Salisbury

    VOTE YES ON 2

    SOME OF THE REAL FACTS

    From the CDC, rate of death involving natural and semi synthetic opioid pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids, other than methadone (e.g., fentanyl) increased 9%, 26%, and 80%, respectively. The sharp increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids, other than methadone, in 2014 coincided with law enforcement reports of increased availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a synthetic opioid; however, illicitly manufactured fentanyl cannot be distinguished from prescription fentanyl in death certificate data. These findings indicate that the opioid overdose epidemic is worsening. There is a need for continued action to prevent opioid abuse, dependence, and death.

    FACTS not FICTION:

    overdose deaths 2013 state of Florida, 2,474. Overdose deaths 2014 State of Florida 2,634 increase of 160 deaths. NOTE: CDC does not show yet OD Deaths for 2015 to present. I am sure the number is increasing.

    CDC new recommendations released 2016 include the statement to Doctors and Pain Management we recommend not to test for delta 9 THC as there is no proof that it causes adverse side effects when used with any prescription drug. “Clinicians should not dismiss patients from care based on a urine drug test result because this could constitute patient abandonment and could have adverse consequences for patient safety, potentially including the patient obtaining opioids from alternative sources and the clinician missing opportunities to facilitate treatment for substance use disorder.”

    Sadly few Doctors or Pain management clinics are following these guidelines. The Doctors I have talked to did not even know about the New recommendations.

    Newsweek:2014

    “America has a major problem with prescription pain medications like Vicodin and OxyContin. Overdose deaths from these pharmaceutical opioids have approximately tripled since 1991, and every day 46 people die of such overdoses in the United States. However, in the 13 states that passed laws allowing for the use of medical marijuana between 1999 and 2010, 25 percent fewer people die from opioid overdoses annually. “The difference is quite striking,” said study co-author Colleen Barry, a health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. The shift showed up quite quickly and become visible the year after medical marijuana was accepted in each state, she told Newsweek.”

    New York Times;2016

    ” U.S. states that have legalized cannabis use for medical purposes have seen a significant decline in the number of prescription drugs issued through the Medicare program, according to a new study by University of Georgia researchers. The study, led by W. David Bradford and published in the journal Health Affairs, examined 87 million prescribed drugs filled by Medicare Part D enrollees from 2010 through 2013. Savings from the lower number of prescriptions were estimated to be $165.2 million in 2013, when 17 states and the District of Columbia had medical marijuana laws implemented. The researchers state that if medicinal marijuana was legal in all 50 states, savings to Medicare would be about $468 million. But they also acknowledge that patients may not benefit from those savings if they pay for medical marijuana out of pocket, noting insurance doesn’t cover it. The study analysis focused on drugs that treat conditions for which medical marijuana could be suggested as an alternative treatment method–such as depression, anxiety, nausea, chronic pain, sleep disorders, glaucoma, spasticity and more. With the exception of glaucoma and spasticity (a muscle control disorder), all other conditions listed correlated with fewer prescriptions in states with legalized medical marijuana. In states where medical marijuana had not been legalized, the same decline was not observed. Overall, glaucoma cases show the least proven benefit from cannabis use, which may correlate with the minimal decline noted in the study. Cannabis use can relieves eye pressure in glaucoma patients by about 25 percent, but the effects only last for about an hour – making the drug not the ideal option for patients. On the opposite side, pain showed the strongest medical evidence recommending marijuana use, according to the researchers, which in turn was the condition that had the greatest effect on prescriptions for painkillers. More than 1,800 fewer daily doses of painkillers were prescribed, on average, per year in states with legal medical marijuana compared to states where it is illegal”.

     

     

    Floridians have the opportunity to help stop up to or more than 25% (515+ deaths by 2014 figures) of drug overdose deaths by passing Proposition 2 this November.

    Remember Florida who is funding the NO ON 2 campaign. Drug Company’s,The largest pharmacy in Fl. PUBLIX, Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson,Tampa developer and former ambassador Mel Sembler

    Along with Politicians taking their money to keep Medical Marijuana Illegal.

    Reply

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