Former President Donald Trump said he believes voters of Florida will approve a ballot measure that will legalize marijuana in his adopted home state.
The Republican presidential nominee expressed support for Florida lawmakers banning public marijuana smoking, but said that people shouldn’t be criminalized for having “personal amounts” on them.
Amendment 3, titled Recreational Marijuana, would allow adults 21 years or older in Florida to have up to 3 ounces of marijuana and up to 5 grams of cannabis concentrate. Currently, only patients with qualifying medical conditions can legally buy and possess cannabis.
If passed, Florida would become the 25th state to legalize marijuana for non-medical use. In that scenario, Trump said state Legislature must act to prohibit the use of the drug in public spaces, “so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go.”
“At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States,” the former president said. “We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana.”
Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, a former state Republican Party chairman, cheered Trump’s stance on Amendment 3.
“President Trump’s call for smart implementation is exactly why I filed a bill to prevent smoking in public,” the Gruters said. “Marijuana should be consumed at home, and I will work alongside my colleagues in the legislature to ensure Florida does this right.”
The ballot measure faces opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis, other state Republican leaders, and police groups including the Florida Sheriffs Association. Critics of Amendment 3 say it will go beyond decriminalizing personal use of marijuana and lower the Sunshine State’s overall quality of life.
“It’s basically a license to have it anywhere you want,” the governor said in April at a press conference. “So no time, place, and manner restrictions. This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns.”
The Florida Sheriffs Association issued more severe warnings, arguing that the legalization would increase criminal activity, illegal use among adolescents, traffic accidents, homelessness, and hospitalizations.
To help defeat Amendment 3, DeSantis has launched Florida Freedom Fund, a political spending committee chaired by James Uthmeier, his chief of staff who served as his campaign manager during the unsuccessful bid to win Republican nomination for White House. The group is also devoted to stopping Amendment 4, which would establish a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability.
The measures need approval from at least 60 percent of voters to become part of the state’s governing document.
