Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican candidate for president, says that he will “respect” the decisions made by the states on marijuana legalization. This is despite his personal opinion that it has a negative impact.
The 2024 Republican Presidential candidate shared briefly at a Saturday campaign event in Iowa how he would manage the growing state legalization movements from the White House. He pledged to adopt a hands off approach similar to that of previous administrations both from parties.
DeSantis began by noting that Florida’s voters had approved medical cannabis as a constitutional change at the ballot. He then criticised what he believes are shortcomings in broader adult-use marijuana legalization, before he explained how he would address it as President.
“I don’t believe it has worked in places like Colorado that have used it as a recreational tool,” he said, according to comments made by Florida Politics. “I think that it has caused problems in cities. “I think it has created a black-market.”
The governor said, “We will respect the decision that states make in this regard.” “But, I do believe that some of these places, like California and Colorado,–I don’t know what they did, but, it’s definitely had a negative effect on their workforce.”
DeSantis has repeatedly targeted Colorado in his criticism. The candidate also claimed recently that Colorado’s illicit marijuana market is “bigger today” than it was before voters approved legalization of the drug in 2012.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D)’s office responded to this position in a Marijuana Moment statement last week. They asserted that the reform “curbs the illicit market, gets dealers off the street, reduces youth use, funds school construction, supports jobs and Colorado’s economy.”
A spokesperson stated that Colorado is pleased to offer advice to the Florida Governor on how to improve economic and personal liberty, as we do in Colorado.
DeSantis’ home state, Florida, may have the opportunity to vote on marijuana legalization in the near future, depending upon the outcome of the state Supreme Court’s challenge by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
DeSantis, despite voting for reform amendments in Congress while serving as a member of the House of Representatives, has not done much to win over the cannabis community after launching his bid for president. He has maintained his opposition to this policy change, and stated last summer that would not decriminalize marijuana at the federal level if elected.
He has also suggested recently that the growth in Florida’s medical marijuana patient population may be due to users using the program as “pretext” to engage in recreational use.
Polling indicates that Floridians are also ready for reform. A November survey found that nearly seven out of 10 registered Florida voters support the marijuana legalization measure. Majorities in every demographic were in favor.
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If voters approve the initiative, economic analysts estimate that it would produce between $195.6 and $431.3 millions of new sales tax revenue each year.
DeSantis also signed a law that went into effect this summer. It added restrictions on medical marijuana advertising and production . This included prohibiting products or messages which promote “recreational cannabis use” while adding stricter eligibility requirements for industry workers.
In June, he also approved a law that explicitly prohibited sober living homes from allowing their residents to possess or to use medical marijuana. This is true even if a patient has been certified by a physician to use cannabis legally therapeutically according to state laws. All other pharmaceuticals prescribed by doctors may still be allowed.
The Governor signed legislation in July that prohibits the sale of any consumable products, including cannabis “chewing-gum”, to people under 21. This is an extension of the existing prohibition against young people being allowed to purchase smokable hemp.
A Florida Republican Senator introduced a bill in the legislature last month that would allow medical cannabis businesses licensed to do business to claim state tax deductions, which they cannot claim at the federal level due to an Internal Revenue Service code (IRS) known as 280E.
A Republican state legislator filed a bill on Friday to limit the THC potency in the event that recreational legalization passes.
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The post DeSantis Would Respect State Decisions On Marijuana Legalization Despite Opposition first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
