JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former President Donald Trump on Saturday signaled support for Florida’s Amendment 3, a November ballot initiative that would legalize the personal use of marijuana in Florida for those 21 years and older. (We want to know: Does Trump’s stance change your opinion on the amendment? Fill out the form below and we may use your answer on air or online.)
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Trump wrote a post on the platform Truth Social saying in part, “Whether people like it or not, this [Amendment 3] will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly.”
But he also said it is important to create laws that prohibit its use in public spaces “so that we don’t smell marijuana everywhere we go.”
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Smart & Safe Florida supporter Sen. Joe Gruters, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, issued a statement following Trump’s post.
“I am incredibly proud to have President Trump stand alongside us in our effort to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for simple possession of marijuana and to give Floridians the same individual freedom to choose safe, tested products that more than half the country already enjoys,” Gruters said.
Trump’s post came a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis openly opposed to stinking up the state of Florida with adult-use marijuana.
Sheriff T.K. Waters also came out strongly against Amendment 3 during a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office town hall meeting in mid-August.
Voters in Florida will have the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” to legalize adult-use marijuana in November. If at least 60% of voters approve the measure, it would open the recreational marijuana market to consumers. If approved, Florida would join 24 other states that have legalized recreational weed.
According to a report from the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference released in July of 2023, recreational marijuana will generate sales tax revenue of between $195 million and $431 million a year in Florida. These sales tax dollars would mostly go to the state, just like any other sales tax. However, there’s currently no plan to direct the money to any specific use.
UNF’s Director of Public Opinion Research Dr. Michael Binder said Trump is backing an amendment that’s already popular with voters.
“He’s getting on a train that’s winning,” Binder said. “And I’m not saying that it’s over 60% and it’s going to pass or anything like that. But everywhere has this thing well above 50%.”
Binder points out that the issue of marijuana isn’t only popular in Florida but also across the country with 24 states and Washington DC passing legislation allowing its recreational use. Trump also said he wants to decriminalize the drug.
News4JAX asked Binder if Trump runs the risk of losing some supporters, with Gov. DeSantis and Waters both vocally speaking out against Amendment 3.
“They are against it but and I think the one thing to think about is, who’s the base of Trump supporters, right? And it’s not really your traditional religious Christian conservatives, pearl-clutching types. You know, he tends to talk to a little bit of a different audience,” he said.