Support for Marijuana Growing As Citizens Rally Across Nation
As the marijuana debate continues, there appears to be an ever growing number of supporters across the nation, from the young to the old.
While there is the expected support from the 18-29 demographic, recent polls show a surprising amount of support from the 50+ demographic. Quinnipiac University conducted a poll in Florida which showed 83% of people 50-64 support medical marijuana use if their doctor prescribes it. This is the same percentage of 18-29 year olds who support this. What some might consider even more surprising is more than 50% of 50-64 year olds support allowing adults to possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use.
In other words, 9 in 10 voters are in favor of medical marijuana. If it passes, Florida will be the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Official voting will take place in November.
In other MMJ news, citizens in Larimer County are standing behind their local medical marijuana dispensary. Peter Verchick is the owner of Flower Power, a dispensary in Larimer County that is seeking a waiver from the county commissioners to begin selling retail cannabis in addition to his medical marijuana.
Officials previously stated that Verchick could not sell retail cannabis because the shop was within 500 feet of a remote-controlled racecar track. This would be in violation of a code that restricts cannabis sales that could attract children due to their proximity.
However, neighbors of Verchick’s shop – including the RC racetrack owner Lowell Ennis – are in support of Verchick’s future business endeavors. Ennis believes that the expanded business would be good for everyone in the neighborhood.
Planning officials voted 7-2 to restrict Verchick’s sales but it is now up to the Board of Commissioners to make the final decision. A meeting was held on Monday to discuss the issue; results have not yet been released.
While marijuana is no stranger to criticism, its supporters are growing and vocal – something the medical marijuana community needs more of.
