By: Lauren Irwin
(The Hill) — Former President Trump suggested he could support a Florida ballot measure that would legalize recreational marijuana.
“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,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site. “Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly.”
Trump, a Florida resident who previously avoided weighing in on the issue, said the state Legislature needs to responsibly create laws that prohibit marijuana consumption in public spaces “so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities.”
He did not say how he would vote on the measure or back marijuana legalization but said someone in Florida should not be considered a criminal when it’s 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,” the former president said.
Trump’s post comes as Democrats look to target younger voters in Florida with abortion and marijuana measures on the ballot this fall.
Those issues have been proven to drive more younger voters like they did in Ohio last year. Democrats this election are betting Florida will see a similar turnout and are hoping to gain support from younger voters, a demographic Trump is struggling to secure.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice took a major step in reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. If approved, it would drop the drug to a Schedule III drug.
Despite its more normalized use and Trump’s post, some Republicans still aren’t on board with legalizing recreational marijuana. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said earlier this year that he would vote against the ballot measure this fall because his brother, who died at 67 in April, began smoking marijuana as a teenager and led a life of addiction.
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