Former President Trump has indicated he may support a Florida ballot measure that would legalize marijuana for recreational use.
“In Florida, along with many other states that have already done so, Amendment 3 will legalize marijuana for personal use by adults.” Trump “Whether people like it or not, this is being done with voter approval so it needs to be done right,” he wrote on his Truth Social site.
Trump, who lives in Florida and has so far avoided speaking out on the issue, said state legislatures needed to be responsible in passing laws banning marijuana use in public places “so you don't go around smelling marijuana everywhere, like in a lot of Democrat-run cities.”
The governor did not say how he would vote on the measure or whether he supports legalizing marijuana, but said Floridians should not be considered criminals when it is legal in “many other states.”
“We don't need to ruin people's lives or waste taxpayer money by arresting adults for personal possession of marijuana, and no one should have to mourn the death of a loved one from fentanyl-laced marijuana,” the former president said.
Trump's post comes as Democrats seek to appeal to young Florida voters with abortion and marijuana measures on the ballot this fall.
These issues have proven to turn out well with young voters, as they did in Ohio last year, and Democrats are banking on a similar turnout in Florida this election, hoping to win over a younger electorate that Trump has struggled to attract.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice took a major step to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, which, if approved, would downgrade it to a Schedule III drug.
Despite marijuana use becoming more commonplace and President Trump's posts, some Republicans still do not support legalizing recreational marijuana. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said earlier this year that he would vote against it this fall because his brother, who died in April at age 67, began smoking marijuana as a teenager and led a life of addiction.
