Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and a GOP presidential candidate for 2024, said that if elected, he would not decriminalize cannabis federally. He argued that cannabis use is harmful to workers, hinders productivity, and can even cause death if it’s contaminated.
A person claiming to represent wounded veterans at a South Carolina campaign event on Thursday asked DeSantis whether he “please” would decriminalize marijuana as president.
The Governor responded: “I don’t think we’d do that.”
He talked about Florida’s medical cannabis program, which was approved by voters. Under this model, veterans “actually have access” to marijuana. He said that the issue was “controversial” because some people abuse marijuana and use it recreationally.
DeSantis outlined a series of concerns that he has regarding cannabis use. He began by mentioning the potency of the marijuana “they are putting on the streets” and the fact that illicit products were being laced, such as with fentanyl.
He said, “If you ingest that, then it’s goodnight.” “You could be dead just by eating that, so that is problematic.”
Experts and advocates have challenged law enforcement claims regarding the prevalence of cannabis tainted with fentanyl on the illicit market. DeSantis didn’t mention that he would create a regulatory system whereby marijuana would be tested before it is sold to consumers.
I think we have too many drug users in this country. It hurts our ability to compete in the workforce. I believe it hinders people from being able to succeed in life,” said he, adding that people who he knew back in high school used marijuana “suffered.”
The candidate stated that “all their activities, their grades, and all of that”–so especially for youth, he said, we must be united. The candidate also mentioned a Florida-based program that his wife oversees, which involves sending athletes into schools to warn children about the dangers of taking certain drugs today.
He continued to say that in order to tackle the fentanyl problem, “you have to fight the demand and put the dealers behind bars for a very long time. But you’ve also got to work with the supply. And you’ve also got to work with treatment for those who become addicted.”
DeSantis has always been opposed to legalization, but this is the first occasion he’s brought it up since launching his campaign for president.
Nikki Fried (former Florida Agriculture Commissioner and cannabis reform advocate) who is now the chair of the Democratic Party in Florida after running unsuccessfully for her party’s nomination for governor last year, responded to DeSantis’s remarks by pointing out polling results that show widespread support among Floridians for decriminalization and legalization.
Nearly 100% of Floridians support decriminalization and 70% want legalized cannabis. Ron doesn’t give a damn what people want. https://t.co/xfFw1FU3Lu
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) June 22, 2023
She said, “Ron does not care what people want.”
In recent weeks, several Republican presidential candidates for 2024 have discussed drug policy.
In a recent interview, for example, the former president Donald Trump appeared confused when confronted by the fact that he would have sentenced a woman to death if he had implemented his plan of imposing the death penalty on those who traffic in drugs. This was a woman whom he pardoned during his tenure and promoted as a good example of criminal justice reform.
In a CNN town-hall event held this month, the former New Jersey governor. Chris Christie (R), who said that he would “end the war on drugs” if elected. He stressed the importance of a treatment-based strategy for people suffering from addiction, while at the same maintaining that he would seek to increase the enforcement against those selling drugs.
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