A group of Florida Democratic senators is calling for the passage of Amendment Three, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults. As Margie Menzel reports, they gave a lot of reasons.
The senators held a virtual press conference Monday to make their arguments, which ranged from too many Floridians being wrongly arrested to the chance to create large numbers of jobs.
For Senator Tina Polsky, it was about having worked on a proposal to legalize fentanyl test strips and being saddened at the need to test drugs that kids are using.
“Clearly, they are. We shouldn’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend that they’re not, we might as well make sure it’s safe," she said "That’s number one. And as Senator Davis said, “We might as well use that money for good.” We are really missing out on a stream that is available to us. And we have so many health care needs and educational needs that we could use that money for.”
Sen. Tracie Davis believes that passing the amendment could protect Floridians from unnecessary arrests.
"Too many Floridians have been wrongfully targeted and arrested for minor possession of marijuana, and Amendment 3 will stop that practice and protect Floridians," Davis said.
The senators also found a workaround for Gov. Ron DeSantis’s argument that marijuana smells bad. They said that when the amendment passes and the Legislature crafts it into law, they could make it illegal to smoke pot outdoors.
