On December 5, 2013, the Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana in their republic.

The court announced the hearing a mere two days before devotees of the measure and their opponents were to meet at the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College for a 90-minute debate titled, “The Great Debate! Marijuana Legalization: Make An Informed Decision.”

“It’s needed now because there are people who are ill now. They’re getting pain killers. They may overdose and die when there is a safer alternative,” the organizer at Medical Marijuana Petition Palm Beach, William Deans explained. “We’re going to have 900,000 petitioners before it is said and done with who have signed to indicate that they want this issue on the ballot.”

If the Florida Supreme Court permits the measure to actually go before voters, it will be voted on in November 2014.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on the 420 Times on Wednesday, October 30, 2013.

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