Democratic Party Platform Touts Marijuana Reforms But Falls Short of 2020, More (7/18/24)

Florida Gov. Ron De Santis (R) used his Republican National Convention speech to go after the marijuana legalization initiative in his state, but the legalization campaign is far outstripping the opposition in fundraising.

Florida Gov. Ron De Santis (R) used his Republican National Convention speech to attack the Florida marijuana legalization initiative. (Florida.gov)

Marijuana Policy

Democratic Party Platform Touts Biden's Marijuana Reforms but Falls Short of 2020. The latest draft of the Democratic Party platform, released Tuesday, touts President Biden's moves to reschedule marijuana and pardon marijuana offenders and calls for broad expungements of past pot offenses, but does not explicitly call for marijuana decriminalization, let alone legalization. That is a step back from the 2020 platform, which included a call for decrim.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) said the marijuana pardons were one of the "historic steps" Biden has taken on criminal justice during his first term. The DNC also echoed Biden's mantra that "No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana."

"Sending people to prison for possession has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Those criminal records impose needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities, disproportionately affecting Black and brown people," the draft says. "President Biden took historic action to end this failed approach by pardoning people convicted federally for using or possessing marijuana. He has called on governors to use their pardon power to do the same for state-level offenses. And his Administration is taking a major step to reschedule marijuana so it's no longer classified as more dangerous than fentanyl or methamphetamine."

And while the draft calls for movement on expungement of past pot offenses, it does not explicitly mention decriminalization. Biden has campaigned on decriminalization in the past but has hardly mentioned it since his election in 2020.

The draft platform goes on the attack against Republicans' marijuana positions, noting that the Trump administration "threatened federal prosecution for marijuana cases in states where marijuana was legal" by rescinding Obama-era guidance that generally urged discretion in enforcing prohibition for cannabis-related activity that was legal under state law.

Florida Governor Rails Against Marijuana Legalization Initiative in Republican National Convention Speech. Florida Gov. Ron De Santis (R) used part of his time in the spotlight at the Republican National Convention Wednesday to rail against Amendment 3, the marijuana legalization constitutional amendment from Smart & Safe Florida that it on the ballot in November.

He warned attendees and television viewers that the initiative was "limitless," providing a right to marijuana more profound than the First or Second Amendments, which protect free speech and gun rights, respectively. "It gives you limitless constitutional right to possess and smoke," he claimed.

De Santis attacked the amendment's provision allowing the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana. "I think it's up to like, what, 40 joints? Is that what the three ounces would be, 40 -- more than that? Eighty joints, something like that," the governor said. "It will be bad for quality of life, and it will make Florida more blue."

He also warned that the initiative would allow -- maybe even mandate -- marijuana use in privately owned restaurants. "I think you're talking about going downtown somewhere, going to restaurants, all this -- you are going to see this," DeSantis said. "And law enforcement's not going to want to police it at all. I've had some restaurant guys [say], ‘Well, I won't let them use it in my restaurant,'" the governor continued. "Well, I'm not sure you're going to be able to do that, given how broad it is."

And he complained about the smell of weed. "You go to places like Denver. It smells like marijuana," he told the crowd. "It's not been good for quality of life. So that's just the reality we've seen in in practice in a lot of places. It hasn't delivered what they said it would deliver."

The Amendment 3 campaign is largely funded by a single marijuana company, Trulieve, that stands to benefit financially from legalization, and De Santis used that as an attack angle, too. "This is being driven by one company from Canada, and they came into Florida for medical [marijuana]," DeSantis said.

Florida farmers "will not be allowed to" grow marijuana, he said, alleging the proposal's backers "are basically putting corporate protectionism into the constitution to protect them so they get to sell it all. "I mean, how ridiculous is this," the governor complained, "that we would let our constitution basically be rent-seeking for some Canadian marijuana company. I mean, give me a break."

Trulieve is not a Canadian company. It was founded in Florida by Floridians nearly a decade ago. A Trulieve spokesman, Steve Vancore, said it was "absolutely untrue" that the initiative would create "a limitless constitutional right to possess and smoke," as De Santis put it.

"The clear terms and limits are outlined in the actual ballot language including the ability of Florida lawmakers to enact restrictions on when and where someone can smoke," he said. "Both the actual language of the amendment and the rest of the Florida Constitution clearly and unequivocally give Florida lawmakers to do the same thing they currently do for alcohol and tobacco consumption."

Florida Marijuana Legalization Campaign Has Now Raised More Than $60 Million. Gov. Ron De Santis (R) and the state Republican Party are opposing the Amendment 3 marijuana legalization constitutional amendment, but are facing an uphill battle when it comes to financing.

Smart & Safe Florida, the group behind the initiative, reported collecting nearly $314,000 in the first week of this month, bringing the total raised by the campaign to nearly $61.5 million.

Most of that July money came from two marijuana companies. Chicago-based Verano holdings donated $250,000. The company already owns 77 medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, which Amendment 3 would make well-positioned to earn big profits after legalization. The quarter-million-dollar donation this month is in addition to $2.25 million Verano contributed earlier this year. And Oregon-based Dutchie kicked in $50,000.

Another medical marijuana company, Trulieve, which also stands to benefit financially from legalization, has been the primary financial backer of the campaign, contributing more than $35 million so far.

An opposition campaign spearheaded by Gov. De Santis is far out-spent by the pro-legalization forces. It is receiving some financing from state hemp industry interests, who fear they will lose out under Amendment 3. They have pledged $5 million to defeat it.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)