Time to legalize Marijuana and finish what has been started
Advocating for Amendment 3: Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in Florida.
When I ran the two previous amendments to the Florida constitution to bring medical marijuana to Florida, the politicians lied about what it would mean.
They lied when they said pot shops would ruin neighbourhoods. That didn’t happen.
They lied when they said children would get it and use it. That also didn’t happen.
But what did happen is almost a million Floridians now have the medical help that they need and as a result of this new law, they no longer must rely on costly and highly addictive opioids and narcotics. And they can do so without fear of being arrested and thrown in jail.
It’s now time to finish what I started!
That is why I am putting my name and my heart into passing Amendment 3 — an amendment that will be on the November ballot and, when passed, will allow adults over the age of 21 to buy, possess and consume limited amounts of marijuana. I believe now is the time to treat marijuana the same as we treat beer, wine and spirits. Regulate it. Make it safe. Create tens of thousands of new jobs. Generate hundreds of millions for our state each year and save taxpayers money by not having to pay to prosecute simple crimes for possession.
I am motivated to support Amendment 3 for many of these reasons, but two of them stand out.
First, I care very much about the safety of our children. A new study by the (conservative) American Medical Association showed (even to the surprise of the authors) that states that moved to allow adults to lawfully consume marijuana found a decrease — yes, a decrease — in teen use. That alone should be enough to convince even the most stubborn voter.
Second, people are dying from dangerous illegal street weed. In a recent Florida House committee, state Rep. Ralph Massullo testified that 90% of marijuana confiscated by law enforcement contained dangerous, even deadly, chemicals. These chemicals are either “enhancers” like ketamine, fentanyl or meth, or illegal herbicides or pesticides, many of which contain deadly heavy metals. People should not be jailed for simply using marijuana (something even the governor agrees with), and they certainly shouldn’t be unknowingly exposed to hazardous chemicals.
When Amendment 3 passes — and all legitimate polls suggest it will — Florida lawmakers can and should do what they have done with medical marijuana, which is ensure each batch is independently tested by a lab to test for purity. In this regard, people will know exactly what they are consuming, the amount they are consuming, and they can be comforted in knowing there are no dangerous or deadly chemical additives. Further, they can — and they should — do what they have done for tobacco, which is restrict smoking in public places; near schools, in parks or anywhere indoors where people hang out.
As we move toward November, I can promise you one thing: You will hear the same lies we heard last time.
Over 70% of voters didn’t believe the lying politicians last time, and I have faith in you, the people, to not believe them again.
So, please join me in standing up for freedom, for common-sense laws, for the people, and for Amendment 3.
