Trump Says He'll Vote to Legalize Pot in Florida

Donald Trump has confirmed that he plans to vote to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Florida. The Amendment 3 ballot initiative, which would legalize the drug for "non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise," is opposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican leaders in the state, CNN reports.

• "As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday night. "We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product. As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November."

• Trump added: "As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens."
• Hours before Trump's post, DeSantis told hundreds of people at a Tallahassee church that the measure would create a "drug cartel" dominated by Trulieve, the state's largest medical marijuana company, Politico reports. Earlier this year, the governor called the initiative "radical," warning: "This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns."

• In an Aug. 31 Truth Social post, Trump indicated support for the measure without explicitly endorsing it, USA Today reports. "Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly," he wrote. "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."
• A spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign said Trump doesn't really believe in reforming marijuana laws, NBC News reports. "Despite his blatant pandering, Donald Trump cannot paper over his extensive record of dragging marijuana reform backward," Joseph Costello said in a statement. "As president, Trump cracked down on nonviolent marijuana offenses—undermining state legalization laws, opposed safe banking legislation, and even tried to remove protections for medical marijuana."

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