Former President Donald Trump voiced support Saturday for a Florida ballot initiative, Florida Amendment 3, that would legalize cannabis use for those 21 and older.
Speculating on the passing of the ballot measure as an inevitability, Trump offered his suggestion that if implemented correctly, the measure would allow adults to use a personal amount of the drug without fear of being arrested for a nonviolent crime as well as removing the burden on taxpayers for prosecution and incarceration for such an offense.
"As everyone knows," Trump began on a Truth Social post, "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!"
Trump's post comes as Democrats seek to appeal to younger voters on issues such as abortion and cannabis. A week and a half ago, USA Today ran a piece headlined, "Democrats' future, abortion, legal pot: 5 questions for Florida's general election."
According to The Hill, those issues proved to drive younger voters to the ballot in Ohio last year. Now, Democrats are hoping for a similar turnout this year in Florida — with a demographic that The Hill reports Trump is "struggling" with.
The Justice Department took a significant step earlier this year in reclassifying cannabis as a less dangerous drug, from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance.
Nonetheless, despite Trump's suggestion to legalize the drug in the Sunshine State, a number of Florida Republicans are pushing back. According to The New York Times, "Gov. Ron DeSantis and most of the state's Republican leaders" are "working to defeat the proposal."
Amendment 3 is up for a vote in Florida in the November general election.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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