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WEBVTT RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE THE TRUTH TEST. BRETT: RIGHT OUT OF THE BLOCK, DR. SPENCER SAID THIS. >> THERE IS NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT MARIJUANA AS AN ENTIRE PLANT, WORKS AS A MEDICINE. GREG: LET'S BRING UP THE WESH 2 NEWS TRUTH METER. BASED ON THE WAY THE CLAIM IS WORDED, IT'S TRUE. THAT SEEMS HARD TO BELIEVE, CONSIDERING NON-EUPHORIC CANNABIS IS ALREADY BEING SOLD IN FLORIDA, AND FULL STRENGTH CANNABIS IS AVAILABLE FOR TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS. BUT, WEBMD ACCURATELY POINTS OUT THAT FEW STUDIES HAVE FOLLOWED A CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL, MAINLY BECAUSE MARIJUANA IS AN ILLEGAL DRUG. LATER, YES ON 2'S JOHN MORGAN SAID THIS. >> WHAT THIS IS, IS A CURE, A HELP FOR REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SICK PEOPLE. GREG: MORGAN USED THE WORD CURE. THE TRUTH METER RINGS FALSE. ACCORDING TO PROCON.ORG'S PEER-REVIEWED STUDIES ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA, 68% SHOW POSITIVE RESULTS FOR PATIENTS. BUT IT ALSO SHOWS 32% WITH NEGATIVE OR NO CLEAR RESULTS AND NONE USE THE WORD CURE. LATER, THERE WAS THIS EXCHANGE. THIS IS DEFACTO LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA PERIOD. ,>> JUST BECAUSE YOU SAY IT'S DEFACTO LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA, IT'S NOT. GREG: ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH METER, DR. SPENCER'S CLAIM IS FALSE. THE AMENDMENT LANGUAGE IS CLEAR. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL AFFECT OR REPEAL LAWS RELATI TO NON-MEDICAL USE, POSSESSION, PRODUCTION, OR SALE OF MARIJUANA. MORGAN IS WORKING HARD TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE PEOPLE WHO USED BE OPPOSED TO AMENDMENT 2, ARE SOFTENIN FOR EXAMPLE, POLK COUNTY SHERIFF GRADY JUDD. HE USED TO SAY LOOK, I'M FOR THE LEGALIZATION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA. I JUST WANT IT TO BE DONE IN TALLAHASSEE. GREG: OUR TRUTH METER IS GOING TO RING FALSE ON THAT STATEMENT. WE LOOKED AT WHAT JUDD SAID IN SMOKED MARIJUANA HAS NO MEDICAL AUGUST 2014. PURPOSE. FAST FORWARD TO AN ARTICLE IN THE LAKELAND LEDGER TWO MONTHS AGO IN WHICH JUDD WAS QUOTED, I , HAVEN'T CHANGED MY POSITION AT ALL. SMOKED MARIJUANA IS NOT MEDICINE. THEY MADE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF CANNABIS, WHICH GROUPS ARE SUPPORTING AND OPPOSING AMENDMENT TO AND WHAT KINDS OF EDIBLES MAY BE ALLOWED UNDER THE LAW.

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WESH 2’s exclusive poll on Amendment 2 shows nearly 70 percent of local viewers support medical marijuana. The results are still coming in after WESH 2’s live debate Tuesday night. Political reporter Greg Fox investigated some of the claims made in that debate. Right out of the block, No On 2’s Dr. Jessica Spencer said the following during the exclusive WESH 2 News live debate on Amendment 2 Tuesday night: “There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana as an entire plant, works as a medicine.” Let’s bring up the WESH 2 News Truth Meter. Based on the way the claim is worded, it’s true. That may seem hard to believe, considering non-euphoric cannabis is already being sold in Florida, and full-strength cannabis is available for terminally ill patients. But WebMD online accurately points out that "few ... studies have followed a controlled clinical trial,” mainly because marijuana is an illegal drug. Later, Yes On 2’s John Morgan said this: “What this is, is a cure, a help for really, really, really, sick people.” Morgan used the word "cure." The Truth Meter rings false. According to ProCon.org’s 60 peer-reviewed studies on medical marijuana, 68 percent of those studies show "positive results" for patients; 32 percent show "negative" or "no clear" results. But none use the word "cure." Then, there was this exchange: Dr. Spencer: “This is de facto legalization of marijuana, period.” Morgan: “Just because you say it’s de facto legalization of marijuana, it’s not!” According to the WESH 2 News Truth Meter, Dr. Spencer’s claim is false. The Amendment 2 language is clear: "Nothing in this section shall affect or repeal laws relating to non-medical use, possession, production or sale of marijuana." Morgan is working hard to make it sound like people who formerly opposed Amendment 2 are softening their positions. For example, on Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Morgan said this: “He (Judd) used to say, ’Look, I’m for the legalization of medical marijuana. I just want it to be done in Tallahassee.’” The WESH 2 News Truth Meter is going to ring false on that statement. WESH 2 News looked at what Judd said in August 2014 during an interview with FOX 13 News/Tampa: "Smoked marijuana has no medical purpose," Judd said. Fast-forward to an article in the Lakeland Ledger on Aug. 24, 2016, in which Judd was quoted: "I haven’t changed my position at all. Smoked marijuana is not medicine." So far, nearly 70 percent of WESH 2 News viewers taking our exclusive online poll said they will vote for Amendment 2; 24 percent said they will vote no.