“It will happen”
Trump wants to legalize marijuana in Florida
01.09.2024, 07:16
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Unlike many other US states, marijuana is currently only legal for medical use in Florida. Presidential candidate Trump is now rethinking this: the Republican supports legalization for recreational use – albeit with restrictions.
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has signaled his support for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in the US state of Florida in a referendum. “Whether people like it or not, it’s going to happen,” the former US president said on “Truth Social”. In Florida, where Trump lives, a corresponding initiative will also be voted on in the presidential election on November 5.
No one should be a criminal in Florida “when it’s legal in so many states,” Trump continued. “We don’t need to ruin lives and waste taxpayer money by arresting adults” who carry personal amounts. Marijuana is already legal at the state level in much of the United States.
Three-quarters of US citizens live in states where it is legal either for medical use only or for both medical and recreational use. According to surveys, it is primarily younger voters who support the decriminalization of marijuana – a voting bloc that has recently moved more towards Trump’s Democratic rival, US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump against cannabis in public
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is against the initiative to legalize marijuana. “The proposed change would turn Florida into San Francisco or Chicago,” DeSantis said, pointing out that his state allows marijuana for medical purposes. “We need to keep our streets clean.”
Trump signaled his support on Saturday, but at the same time he urged the adoption of laws against cannabis consumption in public, “so that we don’t smell marijuana everywhere, as is the case in many cities run by Democrats,” the Republican said. During his victorious election campaign in 2016, Trump took a tolerant position on the issue and repeatedly said he would leave the matter in the hands of local authorities. Once in the White House, Trump said little about it, but supported some of the strict positions of his first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.