Opinion Editorial by State Rep. Sam Garrison
Tallahassee Democrat
Floridians have a right to petition their government, and that right extends to the Florida based marijuana companies who have invested tens of millions of dollars to put Adult Personal Use of Marijuana (Amendment 3) on the general election ballot this November.
But with rights come responsibilities, and Florida’s elected officials have a responsibility to share where they stand on ballot initiatives that may have long-term negative consequences for our state. That is why I feel compelled to share why I am voting NO on Amendment 3.
Whether or not you support the concept of recreational marijuana, the truth is today, Floridians who need medical marijuana can access it safely and with little to no bureaucratic hurdles. The focus of Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Legislature over the last decade has been on alleviating suffering. This is something an overwhelming percentage of our fellow citizens, left, right and center, all agree on. Amendment 3 is something else altogether.
Amendment 3 would allow “Big Weed” an unassailable right under our state constitution, to “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute marijuana products and marijuana accessories” forever.
But what if it turns out this is a bad idea? What if the proliferation of marijuana for all on demand turns out to be bad for our kids and our communities? What if people realize the streets of Miami, Jacksonville, or my hometown of Fleming Island have started to smell like downtown San Fransisco and want the legislature to change course? Well, to put it bluntly, once Amendment 3 is in the Constitution there is not a whole heck of a lot you, me, or anyone else can do about it.
Policymaking by constitutional referendum is no way to run a railroad, especially in America’s third largest state. (Remember 2002’s pregnant pigs amendment?) This is especially true in an area like marijuana where our state has made a concerted effort to strike the right balance between personal liberty and community standards. Regardless of where you stand on marijuana policy, and I have friends on all sides of this issue, the place to debate it is in Tallahassee at the Capitol where the public can see and hear what we say and do.
We’re not California. We’re not Colorado. And we are certainly not New York.
Florida’s great pro-family, pro-business, and tourism-rich successes bring with them an equally great responsibility to preserve them for successive generations. The ‘recreation’ we as a state should be promoting are our beaches, our springs, our weather, and our unique environment.
Not marijuana.
