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US: Florida: Governor Says He Would Sign CBD-Only Bill Allowing Marijuana Derivative Steve Elliott Hemp News Friday 02 May 2014 Despite his firm opposition to an actual medical marijuana law, Gov. Scott said he would sign the so-called Charlotte's Web bill, which passed the Republican-controlled House with bipartisan support on Thursday, reports Andrew Perez at The Huffington Post. Charlotte's Web is one of many high-CBD strains of marijuana, but in a development that undoubtedly makes the Stanley Brothers of Colorado very happy (and quite rich), it seems to be the one that gets all the media attention. Ill-informed state lawmakers such as those in Florida who want to appear to care about patients, and of course want to therefore get a lot of votes, know just enough about medical marijuana to have maybe watched Dr. Sanjay Gupta's "Weed" specials, and they learned from it, or from second-hand accounts of the show, that "Charlotte's Web" doesn't get kids stoned and helps quell seizures. So then they pass restrictive legislation, sometimes even requiring the specific strain, Charlotte's Web, which enriches the Stanley Brothers while leaving out in the cold other high-CBD strains such as Cannatonic and Harlequin. "I'm a parent and a grandparent," Gov. Scott said. "I want to make sure my children, my grandchildren have access to the health care they want." Scott also wants continued access to the Governor's Mansion; maybe he wants that most of all. So he's willing to support this weak CBD-only bill even while opposing the actual medical marijuana measure on November's ballot which could help thousands of suffering patients in the Sunshine State. The Florida Senate passed the CBD only bill on Monday, and due to some changes by the House, will have to vote again before Gov. Scott can sign it. As Governor, Scott has waged pea-brained conservative attempts -- unsuccessful ones -- to drug test welfare recipients and state employees. He said in January that he intends to vote against the medical marijuana constitutional amendment on November's ballot that would allow patients to obtain actual medicinal cannabis. "I have a great deal of empathy for people battling difficult diseases and I understand arguments in favor of this initiative," Scott lied. "But, having seen the terrible effects of alcohol and drug abuse first-hand, I cannot endorse sending Florida down this path and I would personally vote against it." Gov. Scott didn't weigh in on the thousands of Dr. Feelgoods handing out OxyContin prescriptions like candy across the state; evidently he doesn't have much of a problem with those. CBD is the new darling of lawmakers in conservative states who sense the rising tide of popular support for medical marijuana -- and would love to appear to be "doing something" -- but lack the political courage or will to advocate for an actual medical marijuana law. CBD is politically safe because, as a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, it doesn't get anyone high, and better yet, it helps to quell seizures of the kind often found in pediatric epilepsy. So the combination of "helping kids" and "it doesn't get you high" has proven an "in" for medical marijuana in what would otherwise have been quite forbidding places, such as the halls of power in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and now Florida. The disquieting fact about these no-political-risk types of laws (Alabama's passed unanimously in both chambers, amidst much self-congratulation) is that (a) they are written so narrowly as to help only a handful of children, or perhaps none at all, according to some critics; and (b) all of the dozens of cannabinoids found in marijuana work most effective in a synergistic fashion, potentiating each others' medical benefits in what Dr. Sanjay Gupta has called the "Entourage Effect." Still, United For Care, which sponsors November's medical marijuana ballot initiative, on Thursday praised Scott for backing the watered down Charlotte's Web bill. "This is great news for tens of thousands of patients across Florida who are that much closer to receiving the medicine they need to dramatically improve their health," said Ben Pollara, United For Care campaign manager. "Although this is a significant step forward for our cause, the only complete and permanent solution for all those Floridians who need cannabis to relieve their symptoms from a wide range of debilitating conditions will be the approval of Amendment 2 by voters in November." Scott's likely Democratic opponent, former Gov. Charlie Crist, supports the medical marijuana amendment. Top Crist supporter John Morgan funded the effort to place the amendment on November's ballot. Crist leads Scott by 10 percentage points in the latest polls. http://hemp.org/news/content/florida-governor-says-he-would-sign-cbd-only-bill-allowing-marijuana-derivative
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