Donald Trump Backs Legal Weed

Former President Donald Trump backed the legalization of recreational marijuana, in certain circumstances, in his current home state of Florida on Saturday.
Trump, the GOP presidential nominee in November’s election, voiced his support for allowing Florida residents to have “personal amounts” of weed in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Saturday morning.
“As everyone knows, I was, and will be again, the most respected LAW & ORDER President in U.S. History. We will take our streets back by being tough & smart on violent, & all other types, of Crime,” the former president wrote. “In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3. Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email on Saturday morning for comment.
Amendment 3 is a ballot measure in Florida. When voting for candidates in the general election, Floridians will also be voting the amendment, which would allow people 21 years or older to buy and possess recreational marijuana.
Trump wrote in his post that he wants Florida lawmakers to ban the use of weed in public spaces. However, he doesn’t think people should be criminalized for having “personal amounts” of marijuana on them.
“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. We will make America SAFE again!” he added in his post.
There has been mixed reporting on the use of fentanyl-laced marijuana. In 2017, there were several stories about fentanyl-laced marijuana overdoses, but Snopes, a fact-checking site, debunked these stories.
Recreational marijuana has already been legalized in 24 states. Six states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho—have a total ban on weed while the remaining states have a mixed legal status on marijuana, such as allowing the drug for medical use.
A majority of Floridians support Amendment 3, according to a poll released on July 30 from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab. Roughly 64 percent of Florida likely voters said they’d vote “yes” on the ballot measure.
However, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally, has opposed Amendment 3 and launched the Florida Freedom Fund, a political committee that is partly devoted to fighting against legalizing recreational weed. DeSantis has previously called the ballot measure “very, very extreme.”
Newsweek has also reached out to DeSantis’ office via email on Saturday morning for comment.
Following Trump’s post on Saturday morning, Republican Florida state Senator Joe Gruters, who previously chaired the Florida Republican Party, shared his support for Amendment 3.
“I am incredibly proud to have President Trump stand alongside us in our effort to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for simple possession of marijuana and to give Floridians the same individual freedom to choose safe, tested products that more than half the country already enjoys,” Gruters wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
He continued: “Our shared goals to expand our freedoms and keep Floridians safe from fentanyl laced marijuana from the illicit market is why Amendment 3 has broad support and will pass in November. President Trump’s call for smart implementation is exactly why I filed a bill to prevent smoking in public. Marijuana should be consumed at home, and I will work alongside my colleagues in the legislature to ensure Florida does this right.”
David Culver, senior vice president of public affairs for the US Cannabis Council, a group dedicated to the legalization of cannabis, said in a statement on Saturday, “We welcome former President Trump’s comments on Amendment 3 in Florida, which would legalize adult use cannabis in the state. He joins millions of Americans who have reassessed their views on cannabis in recent years.”
Culver continued: “Amendment 3 enjoys strong bipartisan support from Florida voters, and President Trump’s support could prove pivotal for meeting the 60% threshold required to become law. We look forward to hearing more from him about how he would approach cannabis reform if elected this November.”
Update 8/31/24, 11:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 8/31/24, 2:47 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.