The issue on both of these two amendments is not the issues they address, but how they are attempting to address it. The reason they are amendments is simply because the proponents have had no success convincing the legislature to change the law. In Florida, the only way to float a direct referendum is a constitutional amendment. But that's like killing flies with a sledgehammer.
Do we really want to create a constitutional right to get stoned? Seriously? I've personally always thought it was dumb to try to outlaw a weed that grows wild in nearly every state in the union. But the only thing dumber would be to declare a constitutional "right" to get high! Weed is already legal, anyway. The last thing we need is make it a "right" that an lawyer could easily argue puts regulation of it beyond the reach of legislature!
And a constitutional "right" to abortion? Seriously? That's absurd! I can't imagine a more stupid thing to put beyond the reach of the legislature than the ability to decide the controversial ethical question of what is and what is not a human life. Both sides have a right to their contradictory opinions, so someone must legislate a compromise between the two equally deadly extremes. You can't just put the entire question beyond reach, in either direction. I personally think 1st trimester abortion ought to be legal, but that doesn't mean I think the law should have nothing to say about what happens to a full term baby. One is abortion -- the other is obviously murder, and that happens to be the opinion of about 70% of all Americans. It wouldn't be so bad if the proponents of this had the honesty to put a number on it. But the word "viable" is meaningless. A lawyer could easily argue that a baby AFTER BIRTH is not "viable" if the mother refuses to raise it!
The correct answer to both these amendments is "NO", regardless of your personal views on the issues they address. If you don't like the way the legislature has already decided these questions, go back and get them to change it -- don't do stupid things to our Constitution just to get your way.
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