Deputy Director of NORML: Facts support adult-use legalization of marijuana

Facts should guide voters on Amendment 3

Dear Editor:

Facts, not fears, should guide voters’ decision on Amendment 3 (My View: “Flagler Sheriff warns of hidden dangers in Florida’s Amendment 3, the legalization of recreational marijuana”).

Florida already has real-world experience successfully regulating the retail sale and use of medical cannabis. Currently, nearly one million Floridians are registered with the state to purchase cannabis products from over 600 licensed retailers statewide. The sky has not fallen, nor will it fall when adult use similarly becomes legal.

Twenty-four states have enacted adult-use legalization. None have ever repealed their laws. In states like California and Colorado, a greater percentage of voters endorse cannabis legalization now than they did when the laws were initially enacted. Nationwide, public support for legalization has never been higher. This is evidence that these policies are working largely as voters and politicians intended and that they are preferable to cannabis criminalization.

Contrary to opponents’ claims, passage of Amendment 3 will not increase crime. States that have legalized cannabis see improvements in their overall crime clearance rates, including improvements in law enforcement’s ability to close violent crimes. 

Enacting Amendment 3 will also disrupt the unregulated cannabis market. According to 2023 survey data, most consumers residing in legal states say that they obtain their cannabis products from licensed establishments. By contrast, only 6 percent of respondents say that they primarily purchased cannabis from a “dealer.” In Canada, where marijuana sales have been regulated since 2018, nearly 70 percent of consumers say that they purchase cannabis from the legal market.

It’s time to end the failed policy of cannabis criminalization in Florida.

Paul Armentano

Deputy director National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)