Cal Thomas: The marijuana campaign

Cal Thomas, Tribune Content Agency on Oct 24, 2024

MIAMI - As in most presidential election years, ballot measures are usually overlooked or downplayed by the national media. One is in Florida where a proposal to legalize cannabis to be administered by the state is on the ballot. Marijuana has been made legal in 24 states, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. On the Florida ballot is Amendment 3 which, according to its supporters, 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.”

The legalization campaign is being bankrolled almost entirely by one company: Trulieve. Since 2022, the major medical cannabis distributor has contributed more than $92 million to the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, making up the lion’s share of the more than $100 million total the group has raised, according to the latest state campaign finance reports. As of Aug. 30, the committee has put more than $76 million toward passing the recreational marijuana constitutional proposal.

If Trulieve’s bid for victory in Florida is successful, the company will expand its already massive influence in the state, where it already has 156 dispensaries. Trulieve reported revenue last year of $1.13 billion, with record cash flow from operations of $202 million.

Pro-legalization forces are using a county sheriff in TV ads. He claims allowing people to use marijuana will free up law enforcement to go after dangerous criminals and drugs. Other Florida police officers say they are against Amendment 3, because it would allow for the “possession, purchase, or use of marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.” The amendment needs no less than 60 percent approval statewide to be added to the Florida constitution.

What the ads don’t say is the effect marijuana has, not only in the potential for distracted driving, but in causing severe mental health issues. Marijuana has been promoted as a “safe” drug, but a New York Times investigation found otherwise.

Times reporters discovered that “From Washington State to West Virginia, psychiatrists treat rising numbers of people whose use of the drug has brought on delusions, paranoia and other symptoms of psychosis. And in the emergency departments of small community hospitals and large academic medical centers alike, physicians encounter patients with severe vomiting induced by the drug — a potentially devastating condition that once was rare but now, they say, is common. ‘Those patients look so sick,’ said a doctor in Ohio, who described them ‘writhing around in pain.’”

It’s a myth that people can’t become addicted to marijuana. As the Times reported: “About 18 million people — nearly a third of all users ages 18 and up — have reported symptoms of cannabis use disorder, according to estimates from a unique data analysis conducted for The Times by Deborah Hasin, a Columbia University epidemiologist. That would mean they continue to use the drug despite significant negative effects on their lives. Of those, about 3 million people are considered addicted.

What happens when marijuana users get behind the wheel of a car and are as incapacitated as they might be had they consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol? Should someone be killed those promoting legalization of the drug will be partially responsible. Do we need more mentally impaired people in our society?

This is about money, big money. Florida voters should vote “no” on Amendment 3 unless they want to see more “zombies” crashing cars and more people causing serious harm to themselves, and even perhaps to their children.

Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and personal use is generally ignored by authorities, who prefer to go after larger quantities being smuggled into the country. One of the purposes of the law is to restrain people from causing harm to themselves and society. It’s why Amendment 3 and similar ballot measures should be defeated.

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Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).