{"id":76254,"date":"2024-06-12T13:11:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T21:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/06\/12\/desantis-claims-florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-will-let-people-bring-20-joints-to-an-elementary-school\/"},"modified":"2024-06-12T19:45:35","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T03:45:35","slug":"desantis-claims-florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-will-let-people-bring-20-joints-to-an-elementary-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/06\/12\/desantis-claims-florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-will-let-people-bring-20-joints-to-an-elementary-school\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Claims Florida Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure Will Let People \u2018Bring 20 Joints To An Elementary School\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is claiming that if voters approve a marijuana legalization initiative at the ballot this November, people \u201cwill be able to bring 20 joints to an elementary school\u201d\u2014and he again complained about the prevalent odor of cannabis that he says would result from the reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you have no interest in marijuana, marijuana will have an interest in you,\u201d he said at a press conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

In the latest alarmist comments from the governor\u2014who recently launched a political action committee called the \u201cFlorida Freedom Fund\u201d<\/a> to oppose the marijuana proposal\u2014DeSantis said the reform will provide for \u201cno penalties for use or possession, civil, criminal, anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be very difficult for businesses to operate without that infringing on them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re going to see people\u2014you will be able to bring 20 joints to an elementary school,\u201d he asserted, baselessly. \u201cIs that really going to be good for the state of Florida? I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeSantis also reprised his claim that, if the marijuana legalization proposal is approved, cities such as Tampa \u201cwill smell like marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike when you go outside, it will [smell] because [the initiative is] written so broadly,\u201d he said. \u201cHow the court let that language on the ballot, I will never understand. You read the language, it does not do justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch DeSantis\u2019s comment, starting around 1:00:35\u00a0 into the video below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a part of your life. You\u2019re going to smell it. It\u2019s going to be used in places that it shouldn\u2019t be used,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s just the reality. It is so unbelievably broad, the way it\u2019s written.\u201d<\/p>\n

While DeSantis suggested he was confounded by the state Supreme Court\u2019s decision to allow the marijuana measure to make the ballot following Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody\u2019s (R) constitutional challenge, he previously predicted that exact result while he was running for the Republican presidential nomination<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to a Fox News poll released last week,\u00a0two in three Florida voters support the cannabis initiative<\/a>\u2014with the issue proving more popular than the governor himself. The survey showed majority support for legalization across the political spectrum, too.<\/p>\n

Despite his opposition to the marijuana legalization, DeSantis\u00a0recently vetoed a bill to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids<\/a>\u00a0in his state. The action came amid reporting that the governor\u00a0planned to block the hemp prohibition legislation in hopes that the industry would return the favor<\/a>\u00a0by financially assisting in his effort to defeat the marijuana initiative.<\/p>\n

The governor, who\u00a0predicted voters will reject the marijuana initiative in November<\/a>, has argued that\u00a0the state shouldn\u2019t go beyond the existing medical cannabis program<\/a>\u00a0and that broader reform would negatively impact the quality of life for Floridians. The Florida Republican Party also\u00a0formally came out against Amendment 3 last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign behind the legalization initiative, separately announced in March that it was working to form a coalition of veterans<\/a>\u00a0to build voter support for the reform, and the campaign\u00a0has since formally launched that initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The campaign additionally released an ad last week arguing that\u00a0cannabis currently available on the state\u2019s illicit market is dangerously unregulated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the Smart & Safe Florida marijuana legalization initiative would accomplish:<\/strong><\/p>\n