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As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) marches forward in his campaign to oppose a marijuana legalization ballot initiative ahead of Election Day, the state Department of Health and surgeon general are promoting new warnings about the potential impact of cannabis on youth.<\/p>\n
DeSantis has faced criticism in recent weeks over the use of taxpayer dollars in state agency anti-cannabis ads that advocates say are implicitly designed to influence voters as they prepare to decide on the legalization measure, Amendment 3. Now the Department of Health and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo are putting new weight behind that messaging.<\/p>\n
Updated guidance from the health department that was published on Tuesday claims that underage marijuana use has driven spikes in poison control calls and emergency room visits. And it said marijuana consumption \u201ccan have significant adverse effects on cognitive and mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specifically, the department said that cannabis is associated with lower IQs and greater risks of addiction, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.<\/p>\n
Like the ads promoted by various state agencies in recent weeks, the notice about the updated guidance doesn\u2019t specifically mention Amendment 3. But advocates feel the timing and content of the warnings aren\u2019t coincidental and are engineered to affect the vote next month.<\/p>\n
For example, the latest health department statement says<\/a> at one point that \u201cas new products, formulations, and delivery devices (e.g., vaping) enter the market, there is an even greater risk for accidental exposure among children and adolescents, resulting in potential increased negative clinical impacts on adolescent health.\u201d<\/p>\n Ladapo, the state surgeon general, also shared the agency\u2019s notice on X, writing that the \u201cproblem with marijuana or other drugs that people use is that they always come with a price.\u201d<\/p>\n The problem with marijuana or other drugs that people use is that they always come with a price. For adolescents, they pay with addiction, increased schizophrenia risk, & more.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take care of each other, Florida. <\/p>\n See my guidance here: https:\/\/t.co\/fnnvrz7BX6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) October 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cFor adolescents, they pay with addiction, increased schizophrenia risk, & more,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s take care of each other, Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Ladapo also joined First Lady Casey DeSantis, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, state Sen. Jonathan Martin (R) and other officials for a press conference where they urged voters to reject Amendment 3.<\/p>\n The surgeon general claimed there\u2019s \u201cfairly good evidence\u201d that certain young people \u201care developing schizophrenia directly as a result of using marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe evidence of this goes back many years, and the studies have been consistent,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s like this secret that, unfortunately, folks who want people using marijuana just prefer folks don\u2019t know about\u2014and so you don\u2019t see many stories about it.\u201d<\/p>\n While reform advocates share concerns about potential underage exposure to cannabis, they\u2019ve long argued that establishing a regulated adult-use market\u2014where ID checks and other rules are in place to prevent youth access\u2014is a more effective public health policy compared to criminalization.<\/p>\n Numerous studies have borne out that theory.<\/p>\n For example, a federal report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in August found that past-year marijuana use held roughly steady nationally between 2022 and 2023<\/a>. Cannabis consumption among minors, meanwhile\u2014defined as people 12 to 20 years of age\u2014has fallen slightly<\/p>\n A research letter published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in April said there\u2019s no evidence that states\u2019 adoption of laws to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults have led to an increase in youth use<\/a>\u00a0of cannabis.<\/p>\n Another JAMA-published study from August that similarly found that neither legalization nor the opening of retail stores led to increases in youth cannabis use<\/a>.<\/p>\n Regardless of the research, DeSantis has been adamant that passing Amendment 3 would increase the risk of youth exposure to cannabis, telling Fox News\u2019s Laura Ingraham this week that the state-level legalization experiment has \u201cfailed\u201d and that children are accessing cannabis and ending up in emergency rooms because companies are \u201cpackaging it like candy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you think it\u2019s Sour Patch Kids, but it\u2019s really marijuana. So the experiment has failed,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not something that\u2019s appropriate to put into a constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n .@GovRonDeSantis<\/a> says a ‘no’ vote on Amendment 3 is ‘what’s in the best interest of the state of Florida’ https:\/\/t.co\/IyB7N1lNgz<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ghgTMqWfdt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n He also reiterated his concern that the Florida cannabis measure is being \u201cbankrolled by one big weed company that\u2019s traded on the Canadian stock exchange,\u201d referencing the multi-state operator Trulieve that has contributed tens of millions of dollars in support of the initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not doing that because they care about the best interests of Florida. They\u2019re doing it because they want to make profits,\u201d the governor said. He added that while people say the proposal would legalize adult-use cannabis, that\u2019s only \u201cpartially true\u201d because \u201cthey\u2019re actually setting up a cartel in the constitution of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to grow your own marijuana, that is not in the amendment,\u201d he claimed. \u201cThey also have nothing in here that would allow any type of limitation on public use.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVoters don\u2019t get the full picture. And then [cannabis companies] sink $100 million in and, la-la, you get to ensconce yourself in the constitution of a state as this big weed cartel. That is bad government, even if you like marijuana. This is not the appropriate vehicle for it,\u201d DeSantis said.<\/p>\n The governor also urged voters to defeat Amendment 3, as well as a separate ballot initiative on abortion rights, during<\/a> a telephone town hall on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n Meanwhile, DeSantis has also faced allegations of weaponizing state departments to push anti-legalization narratives<\/a>\u00a0through various PSAs in recent weeks\u2014prompting one Democratic state senator to sue over\u00a0what he claimed was an unconstitutional appropriation of tax dollars<\/a>. A Florida judge has since dismissed that lawsuit<\/a> due to what he claimed to be a lack of standing and claim of injury.<\/p>\n But in any case, advocates still got some welcome news from a recent survey showing two in three voters plan to support the measure, which the pollster said signals that it\u2019s \u201con track\u201d to pass.<\/p>\n Advocates are hoping to sustain that momentum, and part of the strategy is to promote the bipartisan support behind legalization.<\/p>\n For example, the campaign behind Amendment 3, Smart & Safe Florida, recently released an\u00a0ad featuring clips of former President Donald Trump endorsing the cannabis reform proposal<\/a>\u2014with a call for voters to \u201cjoin\u201d him in supporting the measure.<\/p>\n The promotion came just weeks after the campaign released another ad highlighting the fact that both major party presidential nominees\u2014Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris\u2014as well as their running mates share at least one thing in common:\u00a0They don\u2019t believe in criminalizing people over cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the focus of the latest ad is on Trump\u2019s endorsement of the Florida legalization proposal, it\u2019s also airing as Harris amplifies her support for federal legalization,\u00a0with a campaign pledge to end prohibition if she\u2019s elected<\/a>. She\u2019s framed the reform as a means of helping to address racial disparities in the enforcement of cannabis criminalization.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Florida campaign released another ad recently featuring state Sen. Joe Gruters (R), who\u2019s endorsed the initiative. In that ad, the GOP senator and former chair of the Florida Republican Party said he\u2019s \u201cas MAGA as they come,\u201d referencing his support for Trump.<\/p>\n Grunters and Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) also\u00a0recently teamed up to promote the state marijuana legalization initiative<\/a>\u00a0in another campaign ad. The bipartisan senators stood side-by-side, acknowledging that while they \u201cdon\u2019t agree on much\u2014hardly anything\u201d and would be each voting for their respective party\u2019s presidential nominee, they \u201cdo agree on this: Amendment 3 is good for Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a political committee opposing the legalization measure has received a\u00a0half-million-dollar contribution from an organization that Elon Musk<\/a>\u00a0reportedly used to quietly support DeSantis\u2019s before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. At the same time, the pro-legalization campaign has officially exceeded $100 million in total contributions.<\/p>\n The main corporate backer of the legalization initiative, Trulieve, has separately filed a defamation suit against the state\u2019s Republican Party, alleging it\u2019s knowingly deceived voters about the proposed constitutional change<\/a>\u00a0known as Amendment 3.<\/p>\n \u2014 Outside the presidential race, there\u2019s been a mix of support and opposition for the Florida legalization amendment on both sides of the partisan spectrum.<\/p>\n For example, the former head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under then-President Bill Clinton\u00a0recently urged Florida voters to reject the marijuana legalization initiative<\/a>, arguing that it would create a \u201cnew addiction-for-profit industry\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party and a former state agriculture commissioner, recently endorsed Amendment 3. And the chair also\u00a0laid out a framework for regulating cannabis<\/a>\u00a0that she thinks the legislature should enact if voters do approve the reform. That involves automatic expungements for prior marijuana convictions, taking steps to mitigate the risk of monopolization in the industry and directing tax revenue to Black communities and education.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, two congressional Republicans representing Florida also\u00a0recently weighed in on the state\u2019s marijuana legalization initiative<\/a>\u2014with Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) predicting it will fail and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) saying he remains undecided on the measure even after former President Donald Trump came out in support of it.<\/p>\n Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), for his part, has said he intends to vote against it,\u00a0strictly because he feels the reform should be enacted statutorily<\/a>, rather than as a constitutional amendment that would prove more challenging to amend.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus,\u00a0predicted earlier this year that the measure will pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n While polling has also\u00a0consistently demonstrated that the ballot measure enjoys majority support<\/a>\u00a0from Democrats and Republicans alike\u2014and despite the fact that Trump has endorsed it as well\u2014Florida\u2019s governor\u00a0has not relented in his crusade to defeat it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers and Gruters, the GOP state senator,\u00a0also met with Trump ahead of his endorsement of Amendment 3<\/a>, as well as federal rescheduling and industry banking access.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, another recent survey from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which is against the cannabis initiative, found that\u00a059 percent of likely voters in the state back Amendment 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n A separate poll from the James Madison Institute (JMI) showed\u00a064 percent of likely voters in Florida are in favor of the legalization proposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Smart & Safe Florida also\u00a0rolled out another series of new ads last month<\/a>\u2014including one calling out the hypocrisy of criminalizing cannabis while alcohol is legally available and another featuring a county sheriff making the case for ending marijuana prohibition.<\/p>\n Voters In Kansas And Utah Back Marijuana Legalization, New Polls Show, Demonstrating Issue\u2019s Popularity In Red States<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Florida Officials Step Up Anti-Marijuana Messaging Ahead Of Election As DeSantis Continues To Campaign Against Legalization Ballot Initiative<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) marches forward in his campaign to oppose a marijuana legalization ballot initiative ahead of Election Day, the state Department of Health and surgeon general are promoting new warnings about the potential impact of cannabis on youth. DeSantis has faced criticism in recent weeks overContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":78546,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78545"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78547,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78545\/revisions\/78547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Florida Officials Step Up Anti-Marijuana Messaging Ahead Of Election As DeSantis Continues To Campaign Against Legalization Ballot Initiative<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"