Sure, “For the reefer” is a funny riff on John Morgan’s “For The People” ad mantra. A lot funnier than “For the amendment.” Context matters.
Hearing “For the reefer” shouted by college-age imbibers at Lakeland’s Boots ‘n’ Buckles Saloon–in response to a (medical) marijuana pitch by John Morgan–was, or should have been, sobering.
Drink in hand, Morgan recently f-bombed his way through a pandering session with those seemingly much more interested in weed-for-all than mission-of-mercy. There’s compassionate, there’s humane–and there’s dumb.
Morgan was the avatar of dumb that night.
Dumb for not quitting while he was ahead after his medical marijuana-amendment debate with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Dumb for then showing up to give a poor-taste pep talk at a bar. Dumb for not realizing the ubiquity of cell phone video. Dumb for giving the opposition credibility-undermining campaign manna that will be revisited time and again between now and Nov. 4. Talk about reefer madness.
Morgan has spent more than $4 million to get Amendment 2 on the November ballot. It would allow people with chronic, debilitating conditions to use marijuana if a licensed doctor prescribes it in writing. If it passes, Florida would join 23 other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing medical marijuana.
Because of Morgan, enough petition signatures were gathered. He has overseen the medical marijuana movement through its Florida Supreme Court seal of approval on amendment wording. He personifies the medical marijuana issue, which is now, thanks to that slurred, Lakeland meltdown, a double-edged sword.
I’ve seen his presentation to the non-Boots ‘n’ Buckles crowd.
It’s effective because his passion and his rationale resonates. It’s effective because for all of that $45-million Morgan & Morgan ad budget and “for the people” shtick, he can make a case–empathetic and appealing–without pandering to potheads.
He can talk about marijuana that helped relieve his dying father’s pain from esophageal cancer and how it helped his paralyzed brother. “It works,” he emphatically underscores.
He can reference hospice nurses and chemotherapy patients–not partying undergrads. And he can out-cherry pick his opponents on marijuana-related data.
But he also realizes that a 60 percent (referendum) threshold is a formidable challenge. He also knows his high profile and deep pockets can be a difference-maker in motivating a chronically lazy, if not clueless, electorate that stays away in droves in non-presidential elections. So if younger voters turn out in bigger numbers than normal because they’re enamored of marijuana use, however it’s legally couched, well, that’s greater-good politics.
But he shouldn’t dismiss common sense and compassion as unappealing approaches to younger voters. They’re on campus–not a societal bubble. They have families. They’re not scientific debunkers and outliers.
Sure, winking and nodding can be part of the game–but not f-bomb pandering to the most literal of “grass roots” voter niches.
Candidly, Morgan looks like he should be retaining counsel for the stretch run. Ironically, Charlie Crist would be an effective mouthpiece were he not otherwise occupied.