Weed the people: recreational marijuana on the ballot in November

The Florida Supreme Court ruled the proposed constitutional amendment could stay on the ballot, despite pushback from attorney general Ashley Moody who argued the amendment would confuse voters.

Getting Amendment 3 on the ballot was expensive. More than $40 million to back the amendment came from Trulieve, the medical marijuana company with a big footprint in Florida.

On this episode of Florida Matters, we discuss how the proposed amendment could change life in the Sunshine State.

Opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment say recreational marijuana will have a negative impact on public health and even quality of life. They say more young people will start using it, and they warn about public health risks like impaired driving and Cannabis Use Disorder.

“You’re not going to invest as a business, $40 million into something if you don’t think you’re gonna get a return on that investment,” said Will Jones, the director of community outreach and engagement at Smart Approaches to Marijuana, or SAM. 

“At the end of the day, there’s a huge financial incentive for these marijuana businesses, companies, the industry—- to downplay the risks of this. And to say that we’re going to do it responsibly, to say that we’re going to regulate it to say it’s going to be something good,” said Jones.

Read the entire article HERE.