Again, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are at odds; this time, it’s over a ballot initiative in Florida that would legalize adult-use marijuana.
Last Thursday, Trump formally announced his support for the bill, marking his third presidential campaign in as many cycles. This is happening despite the fact that his opponent in the presidential primary has spent a lot of money trying to get Amendment 3 defeated. Its expansive language, according to DeSantis, would enable anyone to openly smoke dozens of pre-rolled “joints” and call it a day, and he accuses the state’s $2 billion medical marijuana business of trying to establish a monopoly.
Just like in the presidential primary, when the majority of the congressional delegation supported Trump and the majority of state legislators sided with the governor (with the exception of a handful of high-profile defectors), the two leading Republicans in the state are once again dividing Republicans along party lines. The governor’s objections align with the long-standing hostility to pot among most state Republicans. However, DeSantis has lately started criticizing Republican lawmakers for their lack of action in opposing the proposal and another one that seeks to enhance abortion rights.
“You claim to care deeply about these issues, but when it comes to actually doing something about it, you’re completely absent,” DeSantis stated when speaking at a church in Tallahassee recently. “That is the essence of fearless leadership.”
The majority of Republicans in the state have chosen to remain silent or have voiced their opposition to legalization; furthermore, the state Republican Party has publicly opposed the initiative and promised to oppose it. One Republican state senator, Joe Gruters, has openly stated his support for the legislation; Gruters was a friend of the former president.
On the other hand, former St. Petersburg Republican and pro-legalization state senator Jeff Brandes claims that half of the Republican caucus secretly backs Amendment 3 despite their public opposition to it. He claimed that other Republican senators and representatives secretly indicated their support for his failed legalization legislation, but that no one was ready to publicly oppose DeSantis or the Republican legislative leadership, either then or now.
“This is just evidence that the Legislature is completely impotent when it comes to taking this thing on and doing this legislatively,” Brandes said. “They would rather not get the devil’s lettuce smell on themselves, so they’re not willing to put in the hard work.”
With 60 percent of the vote, Amendment 3 would make it legal for adults to consume marijuana. Half of that support, according to the measure’s backers, must come from Republicans.
Despite changes in the demographics of the state’s registered voters, initiatives including marijuana had the potential to garner more than 60% of the vote in the past. In 2016, with 71% of the vote, Floridians legalized medicinal marijuana; however, at that time, there were 400,000 more Democrats than Republicans registered to vote. Compared to Democrats, Republicans have 1 million more registered voters this year.
The 25 state-licensed pot companies in Florida would benefit greatly from Amendment 3, which would let them to grow into the recreational market. The state already has the biggest medical marijuana industry in the country. The Smart & Safe Committee, which has received over $94 million in financial contributions—mostly from Trulieve, the biggest medical marijuana company in the state with over 150 retail outlets—backs the bill.
According to a June Fox News poll, 57% of Republicans are in favor of Amendment 3, according to Smart & Safe spokesperson Morgan Hill. Through email, Hill expressed the opinion of Floridians that the state should no longer arrest adults for minor marijuana possession and that the state’s residents should have access to goods that have been tested and proven to be safe.
A campaign representative for Trump chose not to address DeSantis’ opposition to the amendment, instead citing Trump’s statements on Truth Social in support of it. A representative from the governor’s office did not return a call seeking comment.
Despite Trump’s statements endorsing the amendment, he has remained mostly silent throughout the effort to adopt it. Concerning DeSantis’s attempts to oppose, the same cannot be stated. His political organization is closely connected to the fight against the amendment, and he has crisscrossed the state proclaiming his opposition.
Among Florida’s new legislative leaders, who will head the House and Senate, respectively, Ben Albritton and Daniel Perez are opposed to Amendment 3. The state’s medicinal marijuana statute already gives those who need it access, according to Albritton’s statement.
“I am deeply worried about the damage that Amendment 3 could do to our state and to generations to come,” Albritton expressed in his letter. “Making recreational use legal will hasten the onset of our behavioral health crisis, endanger children during formative years, and raise the prevalence of drunk driving in our communities.”
Aside from Gruters, who has tight ties with Trump, it appears that there are not many Republican officeholders who are prepared to defy the governor or their chamber leaders. However, Gruters highlighted his support for both Trump and Amendment 3 in a Smart & Safe campaign ad that he starred in alongside a Democratic state legislator. “Florida, not politics, is the issue,” he declares in the commercial.
However, at the grassroots level, the party’s division is more apparent. The support of the Florida Young Republicans was revealed last week by the Smart & Safe Committee.
President Trump’s stances on the Florida ballot issues are supported by the Florida Young Republicans, according to their statement.
A separate statement was issued shortly after the Young Republicans’ endorsement by a chapter based in Tallahassee, stating its opposition to the bill. More than 30 people from all throughout the state have signed the statement.
A large number of Capital Young Republicans are employed by departments and agencies that are within the purview of the governor’s office. “Our utmost dedication lies in helping Floridians perceive Amendment 3 in its true light and we sincerely encourage all voters to cast their ballots against it during the upcoming election,” stated the chapter.
The breakup can even become more intimate. Republican Rob Bradley, who served as state senator but is now retired, was a primary sponsor of the 2017 legislation that authorized the use of medical marijuana. Bradley has stated his support for Amendment 3, despite the fact that his wife, Jennifer, is a Republican state senator and is opposed to it.
We were unable to get in touch with the present-day Senator Bradley.
“We are in agreement on 95 percent, but we disagree on this one,” stated the former senator from Texas.