Trump in Shift Backs Marijuana Legalization If Done ‘Correctly’
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump signaled his support for marijuana legalization in his home state of Florida, where voters have a measure on the ballot that would allow recreational use, marking a significant policy shift for the former president.
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“It’s got to be done in a very concerted, lawful way. And the way they’re doing in Florida, I think is going to be actually good,” the Republican presidential nominee said in a podcast released Tuesday with computer scientist Lex Fridman.
Trump’s comments in the podcast follow a post on his Truth Social network Saturday in which he noted that Amendment 3, as the initiative is known, would bring Florida in line with other states, while also seeking to burnish his credentials as a “LAW & ORDER President.”
Trump’s shift is the latest indication of how the former president has sought to broaden his electoral base — in particular by courting younger voters — and highlights an issue on which Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, has faced criticism from progressive allies.
Critics have assailed Harris’ record as a prosecutor, saying she imprisoned people for marijuana-related offenses. The vice president has since become more progressive on the issue, proposing legislation to decriminalize the substance when she was in the US Senate and championing the Biden administration’s efforts to pardon Americans convicted of federal possession.
“Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly. We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that prohibit the use of it in public spaces,” Trump said.
“We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana.”
On the podcast, Trump also praised the use of medical marijuana, saying “I’ve had others and doctors telling me that it’s been absolutely amazing.”
Trump has seized on Harris’ record, attacking her for prosecuting Black people for marijuana violations, in his own bid to bolster his standing with a key Democratic bloc.
Trump’s own administration initially threatened to give federal prosecutors more leeway to enforce marijuana laws in states that had approved decriminalization measures before eventually advocating to allow states to decide how to regulate it.
The former president’s stance on Florida’s Amendment 3 also puts him at odds with other conservatives, including state Governor Ron DeSantis, his one-time primary rival. Recent polls suggest the amendment will pass.
--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis.
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