Former President Donald Trump has expressed his support for a Florida ballot initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana, putting him at odds with the state’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who opposes the measure.
On Sunday night, Trump took to Truth Social to back Florida Amendment 3, a proposal that would allow companies currently licensed to produce medical marijuana in the state to sell it for recreational purposes.
Read: Trulieve Boosts Florida Recreational Marijuana Campaign With Another $7.5 Million
Earlier that same day, Governor DeSantis voiced his opposition to the amendment, telling around 200 people at a church in Tallahassee that it would effectively create a legal “drug cartel” in Florida and lead to widespread public use of marijuana.
“Public use of this will be rampant,” DeSantis said. “You can’t point to a state that is better off for doing it.”
The campaign supporting the measure, which would alter Florida’s constitution if passed, has raised over $80 million in cash, according to Politico. Almost all that money, however, came from Trulieve, which is the largest medical marijuana company in the state.
Trulieve would be one of the handful of companies allowed to sell weed for recreational purposes if Amendment 3 is passed. In order to pass, at least 60% of voters will need to approve the measure.
Read: Marijuana Lobbying Surges Amid Health Concerns And Hemp Industry Clash
“They’re creating in Florida’s constitution a drug cartel,” DeSantis said. “And they’ll have no liability with the cultivation and sale of marijuana.”
Several recent studies have linked cannabis use to heart disease, stroke and a variety of mental afflictions. Additionally, roughly 22% of marijuana users develop cannabis use disorder, meaning that they are unable to stop using the substance even if it is causing social or health problems, according to a 2020 study.
“As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock medical uses of marijuana to a schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws.”
The former president also said that he “believe[s] it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” however, DeSantis says that nobody is serving prison time in Florida on weed possession charges, according to Politico.
Read: Polk County Sheriff’s Office Busts Illegal “Cannibus” Mobile Marijuana Dispensary
Trump and DeSantis have also recently been at odds over Florida’s abortion law, which prohibits abortions once an unborn child has a detectable heartbeat, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Signing the law was a priority for DeSantis, however, Trump has stated that he believes the protections for the unborn are too strong in Florida.
DeSantis also ran an unsuccessful primary campaign against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
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