Florida should let the love flow for safe, recreational marijuana
I am no politician, but I do have a deep respect for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as our Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Both have tough jobs and if their solid re-election numbers last fall are an indication, clearly I am not alone in that belief. But there are times when even the best of friends have disagreements and as a fellow Floridian, I felt it was important to speak my mind.
What on God’s green earth am I talking about?
The governor recently noted that he opposes the “decriminalization” of marijuana and did so while on the campaign trail in South Carolina. He mentioned that marijuana is often laced with additives such as fentanyl, which as most anyone who has read the news lately knows, is deadlier than a rattlesnake bite. Additionally, Attorney General Moody recently sent out a warning about the dangers of street drugs. Good for her! She also mentioned that black market drugs — and she mentioned marijuana as an example — can contain fentanyl.
When it comes to being worried about unsafe additives in black market drugs (to use their words), both are correct. To be clear, in the so-called illicit market, the person buying anything on the street has no assurance that the substance is not laced with a dangerous poison.
When it comes to marijuana, there is, however, a pretty darn simple solution. Allow it in our state! Regulate it, tax it, and test it to make sure it’s clean and that there are no dangerous additives. We should do so as a way of not only funding the state’s drug abuse prevention programs, but make sure that what is being sold is safe. Also, having safe cannabis available to adults will help keep them off such highly addictive drugs like Vicodin or other opioids.
Making cannabis allowable for adults is no longer the crazy idea it might have been a decade ago. As I write this, half of our fellow Americans live in a state where cannabis is allowed for personal consumption for adults. And another 25% (including Florida) live in a state where cannabis is allowable to treat medical conditions.
It’s time for my home state to get on board and head in the same direction that America is headed — and let the love flow! We are after all, the “freedom state” and it is well past time to give adults the freedom to consume cannabis that is safe.
Not only will this move allow Floridians the freedom they seek (polls consistently show that about 70% of voters — and a solid majority of Republican voters like me — support this move) but the very dangers mentioned above will be better curtailed. Why? A well-regulated market helps make sure that there are no harmful additives that can lead to overdoses. In Florida, all cannabis that is currently sold is tested to ensure purity and to guarantee that no dangerous chemicals are added. An adult-use scenario — whether it is implemented by law or by a constitutional amendment — will improve safety for all adults who use it.
In conclusion, I want to thank both the governor and the attorney general for their correct concerns about the danger of black market drugs while imploring them to understand that it is time to take the next, natural step towards helping Florida truly become “the freedom state.”