By The News Service of Florida
Pointing to issues such as traffic safety, the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association on Tuesday announced opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow use of recreational marijuana.
The sheriffs association said its members approved a resolution opposing the initiative during a meeting last week. “The well-being and health of the citizens of Florida are threatened through the legalization and normalization of recreational marijuana,” sheriffs association President Bill Prummell, the Charlotte County sheriff, said in a prepared statement. “Our priority is the safety and security of our communities, and the data clearly shows that legalization leads to increased public health issues, road safety concerns, and a rise in youth marijuana use. We must take a stand to protect our citizens, especially our youth, from the negative impacts of marijuana.”
Similarly, Florida Police Chiefs Association President Charles Vazquez, chief of the Tampa International Airport Police Department, issued a statement that said based on “the experience of other states, we know that law enforcement resources, as well as public health and other governmental services, will be taxed with new call volume due to the nature of marijuana impairment and its relationship to criminality, including victimization, and mental health.”
But Smart & Safe Florida, a political committee leading efforts to pass the proposed constitutional amendment, disputes arguments that allowing recreational use of marijuana would lead to increased crime and issues such as traffic-safety problems.
“While marijuana can impair driving abilities, the claim that legalization leads to significantly more impaired driving fatalities is not supported by evidence,” information on the Smart & Safe Florida committee website says. “Proper education, enforcement of impaired driving laws, and investment in public safety measures can mitigate any potential increase in marijuana-related traffic accidents.”
The initiative, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3, says, in part, that it would allow “adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”
Voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment that allowed medical marijuana.
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Jevin, you are wrong. If you get pulled over and the Officer smells Alcohol on you, the Officer has the right to detain you, pull warrants and arrest you if you fail the Breath Test and or the Road Side Test, same goes if the Officer smells Marijuana in the Car.
Keep them stoned, stupid, malleable, and dependent. That’s the Pro-Hamas Progressive Democrat Plan.
Yes… to decriminalization and medical use
No… to full-blown legal recreational use
The negative impacts to several aspects of a successful culture and society, far out way the increase in tax coffers.
The job of police is to enforce law the legislators not to opine on their effectiveness or the impacts of those laws. Treat pot and alcohol the same, drinking and driving is not legal so pot and driving is treated the same. Alcohol use and abuse is devastating to families and individuals I suspect it would be the same for pot, addiction is the issue not the substance.
That said, I fully support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and marijuana derived products.
Liberals are the only ones pushing the marijuana agenda in order to pad their pockets, regardless of the devastating effects it has on citizens. Each state that has legalized marijuana has rampant crime, increased public health problems, and traffic accidents. This is a no brainer to Vote NO!
Jevin: They appose it because they are paid to enforce the laws., Get rid of laws, and they lose some of their job responsibility which may lead to less police, which goes against one of the basic functions of these associations which is to help protect the livelihood of its members .
““Proper education, enforcement of impaired driving laws, and investment in public safety measures can mitigate any potential increase in marijuana-related traffic accidents.”” ………………. Here is a thought, ANYONE caught Driving Impaired, 1st Offence = 5 Days Jail Time, 3 Years Probation, 100 Hours of Community Service and a $2,500 Fine. 2nd Offence = 30 Days Jail Time, 500 Hours Community Service, 5 Years Probation and a $5,000 Fine. 3rd Offence = 1 Year in Prison, 10 Years Probation, 1000 Hours Community Service and a 10,000 Fine.
They are only upset because it takes away the ability for them to use smell of cannabis as probable cause to detain, pull warrants and arrest people. That is not protecting and serving anyone