Jacob Ogles
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith grabbed attention when he publicly endorsed legalizing marijuana. He went a step further and cut an ad urging voters to pass an amendment decriminalizing pot for adult use.
“No one has arrested more people for marijuana than me,” Smith said in a new Smart & Safe Florida ad, “so when I say it’s time to stop ruining lives over marijuana, it’s time.”
In the 30-second ad, Smith asserts the current system destroys too many people’s lives by bringing consequences for using marijuana. Passing a measure would mean “giving freedoms for adults to use safe, regulated marijuana in their own homes, without the fear of being locked up.”
Smith previously discussed his evolution on marijuana, especially since Florida legalized the use of prescription cannabis for health ailments. He said his brother, a combat veteran, has seen a significant improvement in his day-to-day life since being prescribed medical marijuana.
But he also discussed seeing lives destroyed over marijuana use, something that has changed at a rate faster than statutes have evolved.
“At one point, if we were told a mother or father was smoking dope, the state could take their children,” Smith told Florida Politics previously. “When we would arrest someone for misdemeanor marijuana, they could spend days or weeks in jail. Now, they are typically released on their own recognizance or with a civil penalty or fine.”
He also stressed a desire to direct law enforcement resources at more serious drug pushers, which he reiterates in the latest ad.
“Amendment 3 will let us focus on serious crime, making our streets and neighborhoods safer,” Smith said.
The ad addresses criticisms from critics of the amendment, who have claimed decriminalizing marijuana won’t allow regulation. Smith stresses the state will be able to limit where people can consume the drug.
The latest ad follows a pattern of Smart & Safe reaching out to conservative-leaning voters, arguing Florida can create a fairly regulated marijuana market.
While the Florida Sheriffs Association has formally opposed Amendment 3, Smith is among several prominent law enforcement leaders who endorse it. Others include Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young, former Duval County Sheriff Nat Glover, and Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt.
4 comments
rbruce
October 20, 2024 at 5:02 pm
I have no objection to anyone doing self harm in their own home at their own expense. Problem is they don’t stay home and the taxpayer has to pay for their damage. Legalizing pot will increase DUI’s, petty theft, domestic violence, and family disruption.
Brian Kelly
October 20, 2024 at 6:25 pm
Contrary to what prohibitionists are so desperately trying to get the public to believe wholeheartedly and without question, legalizing cannabis IS NOT adding anything new into our society that wasn’t always there and widely available already.
Therefore cannabis legalization does not lead to some massive influx of new cannabis consumers. The very same people who have been consuming cannabis during it’s prohibition are for the most part the very same ones who will be consuming cannabis when it’s legal.
The prohibition of cannabis has never prevented cannabis’s widespread availability nor anyone from consuming cannabis that truly desires to do so.
Cannabis has been ingrained within our society since the days of our founding fathers and part of human culture since biblical times, for thousands of years.
So, since cannabis has always been with us and humans already have thousands upon thousands of years worth of experience with cannabis, what great calamities and “Doomsday Scenarios” do prohibitionists really think will happen now due to current legalization efforts that have never ever happened before in all human history?
Legalize Nationwide Federally Now!
Fear of Cannabis Legalization Nationwide is unfounded. Not based on any science or fact whatsoever. So please prohibitionists, we beg you to give your scare tactics, “Conspiracy Theories” and “Doomsday Scenarios” over the inevitable Legalization of Cannabis Nationwide a rest. Nobody is buying them anymore these days. Okay?
Furthermore, if all prohibitionists get when they look into that nice, big and shiny crystal ball of theirs, while wondering about the future of cannabis legalization, is horror, doom, and despair, well then I suggest they return that thing as quickly as possible and reclaim the money they shelled out for it, since it’s obviously defective.
The prohibition of cannabis has not decreased the supply nor the demand for cannabis at all. Not one single iota, and it never will. Just a huge and complete waste of our tax dollars to continue criminalizing citizens for choosing a natural, non-toxic, relatively benign plant proven to be much safer than alcohol.
If prohibitionists are going to take it upon themselves to worry about “saving us all” from ourselves, then they need to start with the drug that causes more death and destruction than every other drug in the world COMBINED, which is alcohol!
Why do prohibitionists feel the continued need to vilify and demonize cannabis when they could more wisely focus their efforts on a real, proven killer, alcohol, which again causes more destruction, violence, and death than all other drugs, COMBINED?
Prohibitionists really should get their priorities straight and/or practice a little live and let live. They’ll live longer, happier, and healthier, with a lot less stress if they refrain from being bent on trying to control others through Draconian Cannabis Laws.
Brian Kelly
October 20, 2024 at 6:26 pm
The “War on Cannabis” has been a complete and utter failure. It is the largest component of the broader yet equally unsuccessful “War on Drugs” that has cost our country over two trillion dollars.
Instead of The United States wasting Billions upon Billions more of our yearly tax dollars fighting a never ending “War on Cannabis”, lets generate Billions of dollars, and improve the deficit instead. Especially now, due to Covid-19. It’s a no brainer.
The Prohibition of Cannabis has also ruined the lives of many of our loved ones. In numbers greater than any other nation, our loved ones are being sent to jail and are being given permanent criminal records. Especially, if they happen to be of the “wrong” skin color or they happen to be from the “wrong” neighborhood. Which ruin their chances of employment for the rest of their lives, and for what reason?
Cannabis is much safer to consume than alcohol. Yet do we lock people up for choosing to drink?
Let’s end this hypocrisy now!
The government should never attempt to legislate morality by creating victim-less cannabis “crimes” because it simply does not work and costs the taxpayers a fortune.
Cannabis Legalization Nationwide is an inevitable reality that’s approaching much sooner than prohibitionists think and there is nothing they can do to stop it!
Legalize Nationwide Federally Now! Support Each and Every Cannabis Legalization Initiative!
Brian Kelly
October 20, 2024 at 6:27 pm
States “rights” has become just a clever excuse, disguise and blanket authority being used for a very small minority of irrational prohibitionists to be able to criminalize everything that they personally don’t morally approve of. Same with abortion and even books that they don’t morally approve of, and they have the nerve to call it states “rights”.
The only “right” states rights provide is the right of a very small minority to criminalize anything they don’t morally approve of in their individual home states. It needs to end now! It’s like having 50 different countries with different laws instead of a “United” States.
States rights=Criminalization of the citizens by a very small lunatic fringe minority of irrational prohibitionists whom have self righteously appointed themselves as self deputized morality police over everyone else.