Florida Police Groups Oppose Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative, Claiming Reform Would Cause ‘Violent Assaults And Death’ Like Alcohol

Two major Florida law enforcement associations are calling on voters to reject a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot this November, with one claiming it would pose a public safety risk because cannabis use is associated with “violent assaults and deaths” just like alcohol.

The Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) and the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) both came out against the marijuana measure, Amendment 3, on Tuesday. They argued that the reform would cause increases in youth use, impaired driving, illicit operations and tax costs for residents, citing dubious evidence.

The chief of FPCA, representing over 1,300 law enforcement officials, said in a press release that passing the cannabis proposal “will hurt public safety and ultimately cost Floridians tax dollars and lives. Among these impacts will be the growth of illegal markets and criminal cartels, impaired driving and traffic fatalities, homelessness and hospitalization as a result of marijuana use.”

“The use of marijuana, just like with alcohol, is also a major risk factor for victimization, violent assaults, and deaths,” Tampa International Airport Police Department Chief Charles Vazquez, the organization’s leader, said.

“Studies have shown alcohol and marijuana in similar percentages of homicide victims (37.5 percent and 31 percent respectively), with the prevalence of marijuana highest in younger victims (15-20 years, 46.8 percent),” he said. “In addition, Black homicide victims had a considerably higher prevalence of marijuana (38 percent) than white victims (23.4 percent).”

The statement did not include citations, but a growing body of research has drawn clear distinctions challenging the idea that rates of violence associated with cannabis use are comparable to alcohol. For example, an analysis of violence between intimate partners that was published recently found that legalizing marijuana for adult use “results in a substantial decrease in rates of intimate partner violence.”

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