Florida: Trump May Vote ‘Yes’ for Marijuana Legalization
Former president and running candidate Donald Trump appears supportive about legalizing marijuana in his home state of Florida. He signaled that he will vote in favor of legalizing cannabis for personal use in the Sunshine State, a question that will be on the ballot for Florida voters in November.
The Republican presidential nominee dumped supportive messages on recreational marijuana via his Truth Social account, the BBC reported.
“Someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other states,” Trump said. “We do not need to ruin lives and waste taxpayer dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them.”
Trump also wrote that voters are highly likely to support the measure “whether people like it or not” and that “it should be done correctly.”
With statements like that, the former US president is now conflicting with other high-level Republicans who openly oppose marijuana legalization. One of them is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who believes legalization would be “bad for quality of life.”
Marijuana Legalization Initiative on the Ballot in Florida
On November 5, Floridians will use their right to vote on Florida Amendment 3 or the Marijuana Legalization Initiative. A ‘yes’ vote would support legalizing recreational cannabis for everyone aged 21 and above, and permitting individuals to possess up to three ounces of weed.
Surveys carried out during the summer indeed suggest that Amendment 3 is close to securing enough votes to pass in the November general election. A poll conducted between June 26 and June 29, showed that 64% of 1,065 potential voters said they would vote ‘yes’ for the recreational cannabis legalization initiative in Florida, Forbes reported.
Never before polls have shown figures above 60% for support of marijuana legalization in Florida.
Trump further said that there would need to be rules in place if marijuana is legalized for personal use in Florida. Those rules should “prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat-run cities,” he said.
Previously, DeSantis has claimed that marijuana legalization “would turn Florida into San Francisco or Chicago,” which are both in Democrat-run states.
The former US president has already caused slight confusion about another amendment that will be on Florida’s ballot in November. He went back and forth with his answers on how he will vote for a measure that seeks to protect abortion rights in the Sunshine State.
At present, there are 24 legal recreational cannabis states in the U.S. In Florida, only medicinal marijuana is legal; it became legal again via a ballot measure in 2016, and it’s available for patients with qualifying medical conditions.
Florida has over 870,000 registered patients with the state medical marijuana program. Cannabis is already a $2 billion dollar industry, with 630 licensed retailers where patients can purchase herb medicines.
Florida is also the home of the world’s largest multistate cannabis operator, Trulieve. The company opened its 200th dispensary in Brooksville, Florida during the summer.
With its firmly established medical marijuana market, Florida has the potential to become one of the largest and most profitable cannabis markets in the United States should voters further legalize weed for adult-use in the November elections.
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Stephen Andrews
