Tag: marijuana legalization

GOP Senators Claim Marijuana Is A ‘Gateway Drug’ As They Oppose Rescheduling And Legalization

Two GOP senators said recently that they remain opposed to marijuana reform—in part, because they believe cannabis is a “gateway drug,” perpetuating the dubious claim as other Republican lawmakers members raise concerns about the Biden administration’s push to enact rescheduling.

In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio that aired on Monday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was asked about his views on various cannabis reform proposals, including comprehensive legalization and bipartisan legislation to protect banks that work with state-licensed marijuana businesses.

“I just think that marijuana is still a gateway drug,” Hawley said. “We have medicinal marijuana, which I did support in Missouri. So if you want to get the medicinal benefits, there’s a way to capture that.” He did caveat, however, that he thinks “the medicinal benefits of it are limited.”

But while he knows the state’s voters have since approved adult-use legalization and would “abide by” the law, he said he didn’t vote for it and “wouldn’t support extending it.”

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New Florida Bill Would Ban Public Smoking If Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization On The Ballot

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has publicly stated that one of the main reasons why Floridians should reject a measure legalizing recreational cannabis for adults in November is that the smell of people smoking the herb will make the state a less enjoyable place to live.

“This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and counties,” he said days after the Florida Supreme Court approved putting Amendment 3 on the ballot. “It will reduce the quality of life.”

To combat that concern, Sarasota Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters said Thursday that he’ll introduce legislation next year banning smoking in all public places in Florida.

The former Republican Party of Florida Chairman stunned some of his colleagues two weeks ago when he came out in support of the proposed constitutional amendment, but said that he wants to get ahead of the concerns that DeSantis and others have expressed about side effects.

“People don’t want to go outside and smell it,” Gruters said on a remote conference call with reporters.” They don’t want to see it in public places. And so, to me, let’s follow the Arizona law and let’s go ahead and ban public smoking in all public places. I think this is easy to do, this is well within our authority, and I think that we need to get ahead of this. And that’s the whole purpose of the bill. It’s very simple.”

In the referendum that Arizona voters passed in 2020 legalizing cannabis for recreational use, the specific text of the law says that it “does not allow any person to smoke marijuana in a public place or open space.”

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Hedge Fund Billionaire Donates $12 Million To Defeat Florida Marijuana Legalization Measure, Calling It ‘A Terrible Plan’

A hedge fund billionaire announced on Friday that he’s spending $20 million “in support of candidates and to oppose Amendment 3” a Florida marijuana legalization proposal set to go before voters in November. Of that, a $12 million donation will go directly to the Vote No on 3 campaign.

Ken Griffin, CEO of the financial firm Citadel LLC, called the legalization initiative “a terrible plan to create the nation’s most expansive and destructive marijuana laws.”

“These investments reflect my commitment to the policies and principles that have made Florida so successful—equal opportunity, high-quality education, efficient and effective government and safe and strong communities,” Griffin wrote in a Miami Herald op-ed.

The Miami-based hedge fund manager, investor and entrepreneur described his millions in campaign donations as “investing in Florida’s future.”

“No other state is making so much progress, so quickly, on so many fronts,” he wrote. He said he’s opposing Amendment 3 “to ensure that our state’s many advantages aren’t thrown away.”

“Passage of Amendment 3 would create a monopoly for large marijuana dispensaries and permit pot use in public and private areas throughout Florida,” he claimed in the piece. “That will help no one other than special interests—and it will hurt us all, especially through more dangerous roads, a higher risk of addiction among our youth, and an increase in crime.”

Meanwhile a recent poll suggests the amendment currently has enough support to pass, with majority support across every voter demographic surveyed.

The University of North Florida (UNF) poll, released on Tuesday, found that 64 percent of likely voters back the cannabis reform measure, surpassing the 60 percent threshold required for enacting a constitutional amendment. Notably, the respondents in the survey were read the full text of the Amendment 3 summary that will appear on their ballots.

Democrats were most supportive of the proposal at 79 percent, followed by independents (63 percent) and Republicans (50 percent). There was also majority support across each race and age demographic, as well as among both those who voted for President Joe Biden (78 percent) and former President Donald Trump (50 percent) in 2020.

The new donations from Griffin narrow the gap between the legalization proposal’s supporters—who have raised far more overall, predominantly from the marijuana company Trulieve—and opponents, led largely by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has repeatedly lashed out against legalization.

A member of DeSantis’s staff, senior analyst Christina Pushaw, posted Griffin’s op-ed on on social media, adding: “Whether you are for or against marijuana, the fact is that Amendment 3 is NOT what its backers try to back it as. Don’t California our Florida!”

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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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GOP Congressman Says Marijuana Rescheduling And Banking Reform Would ‘Prop Up’ An ‘Immoral Industry’

A GOP congressman who represents California is condemning the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana, as well as legislative efforts to enact bipartisan cannabis banking reform, because he says the policy changes would “prop up this immoral industry” and give a “green light to the evil that comes from drug use.”

In a brief speech on the House floor on Monday, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) took aim at the two incremental cannabis reform proposals, while also claiming that marijuana use is linked to increased dependency on welfare benefits.

The Justice Department’s proposed rule to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) represents a step “towards legalizing marijuana by attempting to reclassify it as a lower category drug,” the congressman said, adding that he considers the administrative rulemaking process means of “going around Congress.”

“If enacted, this would increase the use of an already dangerous substance,” LaMalfa argued. While rescheduling would allow licensed cannabis businesses to take federal tax deductions they’re barred from under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E and also remove certain research barriers, it would not legalize the plant, so it’s unclear what he means by suggesting it would increase usage rates.

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Bipartisan Lawmakers Seek To Remove Marijuana Rescheduling Ban From Key Spending Bill

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are seeking to remove a controversial section of a spending bill that would block the Justice Department from rescheduling marijuana—one of several cannabis- and psychedelics-related amendments to appropriations legislation that have been filed in recent days.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced on Wednesday that she introduced the amendment to strike the rescheduling restriction that’s currently included in the 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) spending bill.

In a video filmed with cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy at the Republican National Committee (RNC) convention, Mace said that “we want to make sure rescheduling happens,” even if her preference would be to fully deschedule marijuana as would be accomplished under her States Reform Act.

“We’re doing all we can,” the congresswoman said.

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DeSantis Rails Against Florida Marijuana Ballot Measure In Republican National Convention Speech

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday again lashed out against Amendment 3, a marijuana legalization initiative that’s set to appear on his state’s November ballot, making hyperbolic claims about what the reform would allow.

Speaking to the Florida Republican delegation at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, DeSantis called the proposed constitutional amendment “limitless,” arguing that it would establish a right to marijuana that would be more fundamental than First Amendment or Second Amendment protections for free speech and guns, respectively.

“It gives you limitless constitutional right to possess and smoke,” DeSantis asserted before turning to the proposal’s three-ounce limit on marijuana possession.

“I think it’s up to like, what, 40 joints? Is that the what the three ounces would be, 40—more than that? Eighty joints, something like that,” the governor said. “It will be bad for quality of life, and it will make Florida more blue.”

DeSantis urged the assembled Florida Republicans to oppose the marijuana measure and a separate constitutional amendment that would expand legal access to abortion. “We’ve got to be united as Republicans and do what’s right,” he said at the event, first reported by Florida Politics.

The Florida Republican Party formally came out against Amendment 3 in May.

DeSantis claimed the marijuana legalization measure would establish “a broader constitutional right than your First Amendment rights to speech, free exercise of religion and assembly, broader than the Second Amendment, broader than any other constitutional right.”

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Senators Approve Bill To Let VA Doctors Recommend Medical Marijuana To Veterans In Legal States

A key U.S. Senate committee has approved a spending bill with a new amendment allowing doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to discuss and recommend medical marijuana to patients living in legal states.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the cannabis amendment from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in a voice vote on Thursday, also advancing the overall legislation, which provides funding for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilConVA) for the 2025 Fiscal Year.

“The only healthcare system in America where a doctor cannot discuss medical marijuana with patients in states where it’s legal is the veterans system,” Merkley told the panel. “We’re discriminating against our veterans. This is really unacceptable.”

The same committee similarly passed the senator’s veterans and cannabis amendment last session and in prior years.

“This committee has approved this amendment in every single markup since 2015 for the last decade, because we want to have our veterans have the same fair access to the full range of medical advice that every other individual in America already has,” Merkley said.

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Legalizing Marijuana Leads To ‘Substantial Decrease’ In Intimate Partner Violence, Study Shows

A new analysis of violence between intimate partners concludes that legalizing marijuana for adult use “results in a substantial decrease in rates of intimate partner violence.”

The finding also indicate that recreational cannabis legalization “substantially impacts the relationship between heavy drinking” and intimate partner violence (IPV), possibly as the result of people substituting marijuana for alcohol.

Author Samantha Gene Baldwin, a Georgetown master of public policy student, wrote in the thesis that the findings are “surprising,” saying the links between recreational marijuana legalization (RML) and IPV “require careful consideration.”

“As marijuana use is a known risk factor for IPV and legalization of recreational marijuana typically increases usage, RML could be expected to increase rates of IPV,” Baldwin wrote, adding: “Reduced alcohol use could complicate this relationship if marijuana acts as a substitute to alcohol. As alcohol consumption is a greater risk factor for IPV than marijuana use, any reduction in alcohol consumption would lessen the impact of RML on IPV.”

The study drew on data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which includes details of crimes that are reported to police. Baldwin used data from 2013–2019, deciding not to include data from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis found that “legalization of recreational marijuana results in 56.6 fewer reported incidents of IPV per 100,000 people.”

DeSantis Launches ‘Florida Freedom Fund’ To Oppose Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative, As Campaign Reports Millions In New Donations

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has launched a new political action committee to campaign against marijuana legalization and abortion rights initiatives that will appear on the state’s November ballot. At the same time, a newly released campaign finance report shows over $5 million in contributions supporting the cannabis measure have come in over the past two months.

As DeSantis continues his crusade against the marijuana legalization proposal, late last month he started what’s being called the Florida Freedom Fund, aimed at preventing adults from gaining the right to use cannabis. It’s being run by the governor’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier.

A spokesperson for DeSantis told Politico that the PAC “will be championing issues and candidates committed to preserving Floridians’ freedom.” How that stated mission squares with an attempt to restrict adults from accessing marijuana without risking a criminal record and potential jail time is unclear.

According to a Fox News poll released last week, two in three Florida voters support the cannabis initiative—with the issue proving more popular than the governor himself. The survey showed majority support for legalization across the political spectrum, too.

Despite his opposition to the marijuana legalization, DeSantis recently vetoed a bill to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids in his state. The action came amid reporting that the governor planned to block the hemp prohibition legislation in hopes that the industry would return the favor by financially assisting in his effort to defeat the marijuana initiative.

The governor, who predicted voters will reject the marijuana initiative in November, has argued that the state shouldn’t go beyond the existing medical cannabis program and that broader reform would negatively impact the quality of life for Floridians. The Florida Republican Party also formally came out against Amendment 3 last month.

So far, DeSantis’s PAC hasn’t reported raising any money. The Smart & Safe Florida campaign behind the marijuana initiative, however, reported more than $5.2 million in new contributions from April 1 to May 31, with the bulk of that funding coming from the multi-state cannabis company Trulieve. That’s in addition to the $15 million the campaign raised in the first quarter of the year, a haul that included contributions from other cannabis companies such as Verano Holdings, Curaleaf, Ayr Wellness, Green Thumb Industries and Cresco Labs.

The new first quarter report shows that other marijuana firms are coming to the table in support, including Insa, which donated $144,000, Sunburn parent company Green Sentry Holdings, which chipped in $50,000, and Urban-Gro, which gave $25,000.

The report also shows dozens of small-dollar donations, too.

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