Sólo dile que no — a la enmienda.
With Florida poised to become the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana, opponents hope Hispanic voters can help them defeat Amendment 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot.
And some think that the Cuban vote in Miami can be the buzz kill they need.
“Absolutely,” said Javier Correoso, a spokesman for Drug Free Florida. “The Republicans in Miami-Dade could be crucial in killing it.”
Correoso, who used to work for former Congressman David Rivera and the Miami-Dade Republican Party, said the measure — which, as a constitutional amendment, needs a 60% or higher approval — has no chance if at least 60% of Florida Republicans reject it. And that’s where Miami-Dade — the largest Republican county in the state — can be key.
“Because of how many Republican Hispanics there are here, we feel that if we do well with that group, we have a shot at defeating the amendment,” Correoso said.
Think about it: While the advocates are hoping young Democrats turn out in big numbers, history shows that midterm elections are pretty much owned by 50-and-over Republicans.
That’s one of the reasons Javi has been touring the Cuban Miami radio stations and the local TV programs. It’s also why the opposition is the only side to do TV advertising en Español.
In it’s first Spanish-language video ad released Monday, Drug Free Florida likens the amendment to legal protection for drug dealers. It’s a near straight 
translation from the most recent English-language ad posted by the organization on Monday.
“Amendment 2 is a sham,” starts the ad, that’s already been in circulation on Univision and Telemundo. “It’s caretaker provision gives legal protection to drug dealers. Delinquents and drug traffickers can become ‘caretakers,’ putting our community at risk. These caretakers don’t need medical training. They can’t even be arrested if their marijuana hurts someone.”
Wouldn’t the abuelitos and abuelitas of Miami and Hialeah already be against a legalize pot measure?
“Yeah, they would. But we want to keep them that way and the other side is trying to fool them into voting for something that’s not true. They say ‘You are voting for cancer patients,'” Correoso said, “but the marijuana would be available to a whole lot of other people with what the ballot calls ‘debilitating and other conditions,’ whatever those are.”
Advocates for Amendment 2 also released a new video ad Monday — on the week that some Florida counties mail out absentee ballots. Miami-Dade and Broward mail them out next week.
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