Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is fuming mad with state GOP lawmakers who he says aren’t doing enough to stop a ballot measure—supported by former president Donald Trump—that would legalize marijuana in the state, according to a report in Politico.
State Republicans have kept mum on the issue, but the news outlet noted DeSantis recently started lashing out against his colleagues who, unlike him he says, aren’t fighting to stop possible legalization.
“You say you’re all about these issues, and then when it’s time to do something about it you’re nowhere to be found,” he told a Tallahassee church. “That is what courageous leadership is all about.”
Former GOP state senator and legalization supporter Jeff Brandes told Politico he thinks at least half of Florida Republican legislators agree with Trump, secretly or otherwise, but they don’t want to start a rift with DeSantis.
“This is just evidence that the legislature is completely impotent when it comes to taking this thing on and doing this legislatively,” Brandes told the outlet. “They are unwilling to do the hard work because they don’t want the smell of the devil’s lettuce on them.”
DeSantis, the highest elected Republican in the state, and Mar-a-Lago resident Trump, the most prominent Florida Republican on the national stage, have taken widely different stances.
DeSantis claims the medical marijuana industry would expand into a commercial monopoly and that residents would have to deal with pesky joint smokers in public.
“I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” said Trump, in a post on Truth Social last week. “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 that, if elected president, he would support states’ rights to pass marijuana laws.
Amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana for adults aged 21 and up, needs at least 60 percent support at the ballot box. Florida voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2016 with 71 percent support, but Politico noted there were 400,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state at the time. Republicans now have one million more registered voters.
Polls have regularly show a majority of Floridians back the ballot measure, but that support could fall short of the 60 percent threshold. A late August survey by Public Policy Polling, commissioned by the environmentalist Clean and Prosperous America PAC, found 57 percent of registered voters were in favor, with a 3.4 percent margin of error making the outcome a tossup.
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