Florida voters are going to see a medical marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot for the second election cycle in a row. The 2016 version is different than the 2014 version in a handful of ways. The 2014 initiative lost by just 2 percent. An improved initiative, lessons learned from the 2014 campaign, and a higher voter turnout due to a Presidential election will hopefully overcome that 2 percent. Florida residents want medical marijuana, and not the version previously passed by the Florida Legislature that doesn’t really help anyone. The Editorial Board at the Miami-Herald agrees. Per an excerpt from a recently published article by the media outlet:

There is still time for the Legislature to legalize medical marijuana for sick Floridians. Lawmakers have an opportunity to pass a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to obtain marijuana for medical use. But they should go further and broaden access to medical marijuana to a larger group of patients in a way that reflects the intent of a proposed constitutional amendment.

The U.S. cannabis industry has witnessed some amazing developments, but now marijuana entrepreneur James Lee is preparing to offer a deal that some years ago would have been considered little more than a pipe dream.

On October 24, 2016, a commercial-grade cruise liner filled with cannabis professionals will depart from Florida for Jamaica, where they will be greeted with an epic all-you-can-consume cannabis trade show specifically tailored for the business-minded cannabis consumer.

Today the Service Employees International Union of Florida (SEIU Florida) proudly announced its endorsement of United for Care’s ballot initiative, which will allow Florida voters the chance to vote on medical marijuana in November 2016. In the 2014 election, the SEIU supported United for Care and Amendment 2, which received 58% in that election.

SEIU Florida represents over 55,000 active and retired healthcare professionals, public employees, and property service workers in the state. SEIU Florida’s members provide crucial services in hospitals, nursing homes, public schools, community colleges, municipal and county governments, malls, and universities across the state.

November 2014 medical marijuana was on the ballot in Florida for the first time – many families and individuals were hopeful that this would finally mean they would get access to some much needed relief. After months of petition gathering, struggles with Supreme Court approval, and a campaign that seemed to be attacked and nitpicked at every turn – the initiative lost by only 2%.

The chance at legal access to medicine that could change the quality of life for thousands of citizens was so close – I remember refreshing the statistics until the vote was over, watching the number go from 64% to 63% and eventually drop under 60%. With less than half an hour left I knew we had lost – and by the time the polls closed, we had just over 58% of the vote.

TALLAHASSEE — In the latest twist in a nearly two-year struggle to offer limited types of medical-marijuana in Florida, three nurseries filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to at least temporarily block competitors from starting to produce the cannabis.

The lawsuit filed in Leon Circuit Court, stems from a November decision by the Florida Department of Health to award highly prized licenses to five dispensing organizations in different regions of the state. They would grow, process and distribute non-euphoric types of marijuana approved in 2014.

But the selection drew a series of legal challenges. Amid them, the Department of Health and the chosen dispensing organizations told lawmakers last month they planned to move forward with starting production.

Florida has a love/hate relationship with marijuana. You may not know it, but Florida has a very limited medical marijuana program that its legislature adopted in 2014 and that’s been entangled in legal challenges almost from its inception. In the same year, Florida also tried passing a medical marijuana constitutional amendment (Amendment 2) by a vote of the people that would have created a more robust medical marijuana marketplace. This year, that ballot initiative will again be making its way back to the voters.

WEST PALM BEACH (CBS12) —

Will Florida join the list of states that have legalized medical marijuana?

It's very possible considering this week's announcement that medical marijuana will be on the November ballot in Florida.

For some medical marijuana would be a blessing.

Others see it as a disaster.

Ava Pence of Palm Beach Gardens got the birthday wish she wanted this week--medical marijuana on the November ballot. She learned on her birthday that enough signatures were obtained to place it on the ballot and voters will get to decide.

Cannabix Hand-held THC Marijuana Breathalyzer is being developed to give law enforcement and employers the ability to test for recent consumption of the THC component of marijuana.

Vancouver, British Columbia (PRWEB) February 01, 2016

Floridians will decide this November whether to allow medical marijuana in the state.

On Wednesday, a constitutional amendment to legalize the drug gained enough signed petitions to qualify for the ballot next November. If passed, the amendment would allow doctors to describe marijuana for people with “debilitating conditions” such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis.

“This November, Florida will pass this law and hundreds of thousands of sick and suffering people will see relief,” Orlando lawyer John Morgan said in a written statement. “What Tallahassee politicians refused to do, the people will do together in this election.”