TALLAHASSEE - A state lawmakers is working on legalizing medical marijuana in Florida. TALLAHASSEE - A state lawmakers is working on legalizing medical marijuana in Florida.

Rep. Jeff Clemens has filed legislation that would allow Floridians to vote on a constitutional amendment about medicinal marijuana.

It's the first-ever bill that tries to legalize the medical use of marijuana in Florida.

Clemens believes it makes no sense to allow people to use powerful prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Methadone and Percocet, but ban them from using a natural herb to treat an illness.

He says seven people are dying every day in Florida from those prescription drugs, but no one has died from cannabis.

Under his bill, medicinal cannabis could only be prescribed to people suffering debilitating medical conditions. It would also give protections to people who grow marijuana for medical purposes.

Cathy Jordan, who has lived with A.L.S for nearly 25 years, says she uses marijuana to treat her illness. She says she's been able to survive Lou Gehrig's Disease because of medicinal marijuana.

"Cannabis is a neuro-protector, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. I know this because the federal government has the patent," Jordan said.

Other advocates say there is much research supporting the safety of cannabis.

---EXTRA SOT--- Mary Lynn Mathre/ "Patients Out of Time" (:15) (Mathre is a registered nurse with 35 years of experience who says there is much research supporting the safety of cannabis)

"The plant can provide much pain relief from suffering, and greatly improves the quality of lives of any patients," said Mary Lynn Mathre, with Patients Out of Time, a medical marijuana advocacy group. "Patients are in desperate need of this medicine. We don't need more research. We welcome more research but the patients need this medicine now."

Clemens argues medical marijuana is a much safer alternative to prescription narcotics.

"We have a lot of people suffering here in the state of Florida and I don't think we need to be telling them that prescription narcotics are the way to go when we have other more natural avenues for them," he said.

The bill also says insurance companies would not be required to cover medicinal cannabis and employers would not be required to accommodate its use in the workplace.