Tori Volland Volland 1
Ms. Susa
English 2 Honors, Period 6
13 November 2014
The Beauty of the Ballot Why do people make the decision to not be completely informed on a subject that they will be voting on? The ballot never seems to give clear information about the topic people are making a decision on. This is the case with the ballot that concerns Amendment 2. The ballot for Amendment 2 is misleading to voters when compared to the actual petition because the ballot does not give clear definitions of what a caregiver is, what a debilitating disease is, or what a Medical Treatment Center is. When people read the ballot it is as if they are reading the back cover of a novel, they do not know the whole story. First off, the ballot for Amendment 2 does not say the exact characterization of a caregiver, yet the petition gives you the exact meaning. If the classification qualities of a personal caregiver were written out on the ballot, the decision the voters make may not reflect what they would actually feel if they knew the whole truth. According to the Constitutional Amendment Petition Form, a personal caregiver is defined as “a person who is at least 21 years old who has agreed to assist with a qualifying patient’s medical use of marijuana and has a caregiver identification card issued by the department” (Petition, paragraph 10). The person doesn’t have to have any kind of degree or medical experience; for all we know this person could be a drug dealer. On the actual ballot all it says is the word “caregiver” and people are not bound
Volland 2 to look farther into it than what the word says. If the ballot actually said what the petition clarifies people would make a more informed decision.
Along with the faulty definition of a caregiver, the ballot does not show the list of illnesses that would allow for the use of marijuana. The petition for Amendment 2 a “Debilitating Medical Condition” is defined as “cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions” (Constitutional Amendment Petition Form, paragraph 4), whereas the ballot just says “ debilitating diseases” (Amendment 2 Ballot, line 2). Many people will find a way to abuse the “or other conditions” part of the amendment and the voters will be oblivious that they were the ones who allowed for that to happen. People will begin to use marijuana for any purpose. It was said in an article entitled Vote No on 2, a piece written by the Drug Free Florida Committee, “Amendment 2 does not