Former President Donald Trump on Saturday came out in favor of a Florida amendment that would legalize marijuana for personal use. Amendment 3 has been the subject of debate but, according to a July poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, is supported by a majority of Floridians.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump touted his law and order stance, and vowed to be “tough & smart on violent, & all other types, of Crime,” but acknowledged that “Whether people like it or not, [Amendment 3] will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly.”
“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,” he added. His full post reads:
As everyone knows, I was, and will be again, the most respected LAW & ORDER President in U.S. History. We will take our streets back by being tough & smart on violent, & all other types, of Crime. In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3. Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly. We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that 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. At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States. 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. We will make America SAFE again!
Amendment 3 “allows adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”
The measure mandates that personal possession of pot “shall not exceed 3.0 ounces of marijuana except that not more than five grams of marijuana may be in the form of concentrate.”
Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs) and other state-licensed entities would be allowed to cultivate, process, and distribute marijuana for personal use under the amendment. The Florida Department of Health would regulate the industry, including issuing identification cards, registering MMTCs, and ensuring compliance with safety and security standards.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been a vocal opponent of the idea of legalizing marijuana and opposes the measure, referring to it as “bad policy and even worse constitutional law.”
Amendment 3: written by the CEO of a weed company that has poured $70 million (and counting) into the effort so that the company gets a constitutionally-protected monopoly on the market.
This is bad policy and even worse constitutional law. https://t.co/9DenQ4ltkt
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 28, 2024
Earlier in 2024, he argued that he does not “want this state to be reeking of marijuana” while addressing reporters.
“You want to walk down the street here and smell it?” he asked. “Do you want to not be able to take your family out to dinner because you’re worried about it?”
The amendment explicitly prohibits the use of marijuana in public places.
Nevertheless, this is a good move on Trump’s part, even if I have some quibbles with regulating the plant.
Legalizing marijuana could reduce the burden on the criminal justice system by decreasing the number of arrests and incarcerations for non-violent drug offenses. This would save billions in enforcement costs. In 2022, there were about 2,349 arrests specifically for marijuana possession and over 6,000 arrests for possession where marijuana was involved, according to Florida State Cannabis.
As Trump argued, legalizing marijuana could protect public health by reducing the number of people who overdose due to fentanyl being laced into pot. It also provides a safer alternative to more harmful substances like alcohol and opioids.
Legalizing marijuana is the right choice. The state should not possess the authority to dictate what people choose to consume of their own volition. Moreover, using government force to punish people for consuming the plant is a tremendous waste of resources that could be used to target individuals who are actually violating other people’s rights. At this point, it is becoming even more apparent that there is no valid reason for the government to police people’s personal choices.
