Conservatives in Florida attack Donald Trump over marijuana comments

Several conservatives in Florida have spoken out against Donald Trump after the former president spoke out in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump suggested he would support Florida, where he lives, in approving a constitutional amendment in November that would legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults.

The Republican said Florida should not “ruin lives and waste taxpayer money” by arresting adults carrying personal amounts of the drug, and no one in the state should “mourn a loved one because they died from marijuana laced with fentanyl.”

“Whether people like it or not, this is going to happen by voter approval, so it should be done right,” Trump said. “We need the state legislature to responsibly pass laws banning consumption in public spaces so we don't smell marijuana everywhere we go, as is the case in many Democrat-run cities.”

In response, conservatives in Florida attacked the Republican Party's 2024 presidential candidate for supporting the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. They include supporters of Trump's former Republican primary rival, Governor Ron DeSantis, who opposes Amendment 3 in Florida.

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign team also accused Trump of “just making things up” to appeal to voters during the election campaign.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gilchrist Republican Chairman David Biddle said, “Don't listen to Trump. Vote NO on Amendment 3.”

“We don't need recreational marijuana in Florida. Anywhere it's legal, it's a disaster. It brings no benefit to society, it increases crime, homelessness and further drug use. It's bad for Florida.”

Jenna Ellis, the former Trump lawyer who supported DeSantis in the 2024 presidential race, said Trump was talking about the marijuana legalization amendment to distract people from the fact that he would not support Amendment 4, the Florida referendum that would repeal the state's six-week abortion ban, which he had previously indicated he would vote for.

“Trump talks about Amendment 3 to get conservatives to talk about why we obviously oppose this nonsense, and he hopes we'll just forget about the problem with Amendment 4,” Ellis wrote. “PR game.”

Iraq War veteran Peter Henlein added: “Now Trump is in Florida advocating for Amendment 3 and saying it will pass.”

“We know that MAGA influencers are also being paid large sums of money to promote this. This is all just a big scam to make money. And while I'm a big DeSantis supporter, it's pretty bad if he can't stand up to Trump on issues in his own state. Stop being afraid of Trump and MAGA.”

Trump's office was contacted via email for comment.

Republican Florida State Senator Joe Gruters, who supports Amendment 3, said in a statement: “I am incredibly proud that President Trump stands with us in our effort to end unnecessary arrests and incarceration of adults for simple possession of marijuana and to give Floridians the same individual freedom to choose safe, tested products that more than half the country already enjoys.”

“President Trump's call for smart implementation is exactly why I introduced a bill to ban smoking in public. Marijuana should be consumed at home, and I will work with my colleagues in the legislature to make sure Florida gets this right.”

Ian Sams, Harris for President's senior spokesman, added that on issues like marijuana legislation, Trump “says one thing after doing another.”

“As a 2024 candidate, he claims to be for the decriminalization of marijuana – but as president, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses,” Sams said.

“Trump's administration has rolled back marijuana reform, rolling back policies to limit prosecutions for marijuana offenses that were legal under state law. Trump has even proposed repealing protections for medical marijuana.”