Florida: Broward election chief prevails in lawsuit about ballot amendment on medical marijuana

[TonyPDX]

8. I don't regard my home state as a bellwether for the nation as a whole.

Some populations are over-represented there, especially (and obviously) seniors. I grew up in the panhandle and attended college in south Florida. Television commercials and printed advertisements in the so-called Sun Belt (otherwise known as God's Waiting Room) mostly targeted the massive tribe of prescription-takers that retire there. It's not something one becomes aware of on a holiday to Disney World, but the sheer number of seniors settled in that region is staggering.

If the pharmaceutical industry loses Florida to cannabis alternatives then they lose a historically important revenue center. I don't believe they'll risk that loss, not as long as they have a dollar left to buy a politician's vote with. For that reason, plus the infra-red conservatives that control the northern portion of the state, expect Florida to be the very LAST state to legalize.