Jacob Ogles
A Florida lawmaker in line to be House Speaker is explaining why he’s voting against legalizing recreational marijuana in November.
Rep. Sam Garrison sent a detailed email to media laying out his opposition to Amendment 3. The Fleming Island Republican said that even voters who want cannabis decriminalized should be concerned about cuffing the Legislature’s policymaking ability with an amendment to the Florida Constitution.
“Policymaking by constitutional referendum is no way to run a railroad, especially in America’s third largest state. (Remember 2002’s pregnant pigs amendment?) This is especially true in an area like marijuana where our state has made a concerted effort to strike the right balance between personal liberty and community standards,” Garrison said.
“Regardless of where you stand on marijuana policy, and I have friends on all sides of this issue, the place to debate it is in Tallahassee at the Capitol where the public can see and hear what we say and do.”
He noted that those Floridians with legitimate need for cannabis access already have it through Florida’s medical marijuana program. Garrison currently chairs the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, offering insight into the state program’s operations.
“Whether or not you support the concept of recreational marijuana, the truth is today, Floridians who need medical marijuana can access it safely and with little to no bureaucratic hurdles,” Garrison wrote.
“The focus of Governor (Ron) DeSantis and the Florida legislature over the last decade has been on alleviating suffering. This is something an overwhelming percentage of our fellow citizens, left, right and center, all agree on. Amendment 3 is something else altogether.”
Of note, medical marijuana was legalized in Florida following the passage of a constitutional amendment in 2016, not by lawmakers approving it.
Garrison made clear that Florida’s economy doesn’t need marijuana and suggested it could ruin the state’s reputation.
“We’re not California. We’re not Colorado. And we are certainly not New York,” he wrote. “Florida’s great pro-family, pro-business, and tourism-rich successes bring with them an equally great responsibility to preserve them for successive generations. The ‘recreation’ we as a state should be promoting are our beaches, our springs, our weather, and our unique environment. Not marijuana.”
Garrison will become House Speaker after the 2028 election if Republicans maintain control of the chamber.
