Recreational marijuana ballot initiative grown in Manatee County

MANATEE -- One ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana has Manatee County roots in Cathy and Bob Jordan.

The Parrish couple are long-advocates for use of medical cannabis as Cathy Jordan uses it to treat her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis she was diagnosed with in 1986. Jordan credits living as long as she has to her use of marijuana.

Her husband, Bob Jordan, has also said he wants its use legalized for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, which he said he has suffered from as a military veteran.

Now, they're taking their support of cannabis all the way, looking to get its use, possession and cultivation legalized for everyone 21 and older in Florida. The proposed constitutional amendment defines cannabis as: "All parts of any plant of the genus Cannabis, growing or not, and the seeds thereof."

The proposed amendment is simple, especially compared with two other ballot initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana and one to legalize medical marijuana on the 2016 Florida ballot.

Besides defining cannabis and a standard provision saying all sections are severable if one is deemed unconstitutional by a court of law, the language states simply: "All people in the State of Florida twenty-one years of age and older shall have the right under state laws to possession, use, and cultivation of cannabis. This right shall not be infringed except that the transfer of cannabis by purchase or sale may be regulated as necessary to ensure health and safety."

Cathy Jordan said they kept it simple on purpose to cut down on opposition to the amendment.

"People, like state legislators in the House, have said that they don't want the regulation of cannabis in our Constitution," she said. "So we'll leave regulation out of the Constitution and up to them."

A ballot initiative needs 683,149 signatures by Feb. 1 and approval by the Florida Supreme Court to get on the 2016 ballot. It would then need a 60 percent majority vote to become law.

Cathy Jordan said she isn't sure how much they've raised so far, but she's been amazed at what they've gotten already, especially since all of their donations have been from individuals. "We got $7,000 in one day," she said. "This is the people doing this."

Supporters will be on the Palma Sola Causeway starting at 9 a.m. Saturday underneath a cabana. They'll collect signatures and welcome additional support until 1 p.m. or until it gets too hot to stay out, Cathy Jordan said.

The website for the amendment, floridafreedomgroup.com, has a place for visitors to sign the petition, volunteer and donate.

"Cannabis prohibition is the problem; this is the solution," the website states. "A simple, no frills, no complications, no compromises, citizens' initiative to expand liberty by making cannabis possession, use and cultivation legal for adults in Florida."

Kate Irby, Herald online/political reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7055. You can follow her on Twitter@KateIrby

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Recreational marijuana ballot initiative grown in Manatee County."