SUMMARY The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is at conflict with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state GOP officials after he said on Sunday that he will support a ballot issue in Florida that aims to legalise marijuana for recreational use.
The November ballot issue known as Amendment 3 will be decided in favour of Trump, who stated in a statement on his Truth Social platform that it is time “to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use.”
In November, Trump declared that his government would “focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana.” If he is elected president.
Though he had hinted at his support for the bill last month, this is the first time the former president has stated clearly that he will vote in favour of legalisation.
Trump stated in a post published late last month that voters in Florida, where he resides, will legalise marijuana for recreational use “whether people like it or not,” and he called marijuana possession arrests a “waste.”
Trump’s support for the legislation is a stark contrast from the position taken by DeSantis and other GOP leaders in the state. In April, DeSantis attacked Amendment 3, saying it “does not just decriminalize marijuana. It’s a license to have it wherever you want.” The Florida governor also warned the state will “start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns” if the measure passes. Billionaire Ken Griffin—a key GOP donor and DeSantis supporter—has poured $12 million into opposing the measure, arguing it only serves “special interests” and will lead to an “increase in crime.” Trump’s first comments in favor of Amendment 3 last month faced strong pushback from some Florida Republicans. David Biddle, the GOP Chair for the state’s Gilchrist County, wrote: “Don’t listen to Trump. Vote NO on Amendment 3.”
Trump last month said the state legislature should create laws to prohibit marijuana use in public places “so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities.” This was likely an effort to address one of the key talking points raised by DeSantis and other opponents of the measure. The Florida governor, however, has argued that if Amendment 3 passes, the state’s constitution will only allow “regulating the use of *medical* marijuana in public, but not *recreational* marijuana.”
