Recreational marijuana amendment sparking discussion of potential economic benefits
TAMPA - In less than five months, Floridians will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
If it passes, Amendment 3 would allow anyone 21 years or older to possess, buy or use marijuana products for personal, non-medical use.
The amendment would also allow Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and other licensed entities to sell products for this use.
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The amendment has garnered a lot of support and opposition from leaders around Florida.
On Thursday, leaders from Tampa Bay held a roundtable to discuss how the legalization of marijuana for recreational use could have a major impact on the economy.
"This opens it up to a lot more people and the state will benefit from that, taxwise. So I think it’s kind of a win-win," Attorney Jim Shimberg said.
Some leaders believe the legalization of marijuana for recreational use is inevitable, so they want to be proactive in discussing how it should be regulated.
However, leaders like Governor Ron DeSantis, have voiced strong opposition to the amendment.
"If that marijuana passes, this will smell like marijuana," DeSantis said.
On Thursday, leaders discussed where the revenue from sales would go, if Amendment 3 passes.
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"I don’t want us to establish a monopoly," Hillsborough County attorney Sean Shaw said. "But you’ve got to get it here first, and then you’ve got to allow the legislature, hopefully, to regulate it in a manner that opens it up. That allows it to do what you want to do. Then more people get access to it. But you’ve got to have it first."
Leaders say, if Amendment 3 passes, they want Floridians to be able to benefit.
"It’s about the fact that we have black markets right now, and then we have monopolies, essentially, being made in Tallahassee when you give only a few licenses to a few specific companies," Tampa Bay Young Republicans Executive Director Jake Hoffman said.
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Many leaders agreed that they would want to see the revenue go to local governments and fund things like public safety, education, mass transit, housing and mental health.
"Hopefully some of this money will be allocated for specific needs of Florida, which they’re great," Shimberg said.
It’s also unclear how recreational marijuana would be regulated by law enforcement.
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"How do we make the distinction between medical and recreational, and who bought it on the black market? Who didn’t buy it on the black market?" Hoffman said.
Some leaders argue legalization would take a burden off the criminal justice system.
"The time that police officers are spending going after petty possession charges," Morgan Hill, with Smart & Safe Florida, said.
However, some law enforcement officers around Florida have been outspoken against legalization of recreational marijuana, arguing that it would only lead to more crime.
"The amendment language says that there can be no penalties for use or possession, civil, criminal, anything," DeSantis said. "I think it's going to be very difficult for businesses to operate without that infringing on them."
Amendment 3 is a single-subject amendment, so if it passes, the regulations and rules around the recreational use of marijuana would still have to be decided upon by the state legislature.
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If the amendment passes, some leaders say they want to ensure that the future regulations imposed are ones that will benefit the majority of Floridians and the economy.
"We have the situation in front of us, and it’s good to go back to the legislature and say, ‘Hey, now, work on it. Make this better, and create a framework that makes this work for everybody in the state of Florida,'" Hoffman said.
The amendment is expected to bring a lot of voters to the polls in November.
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