'They don't want the smell of the devil's lettuce': DeSantis and Trump war over weed

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are fighting once again — this time over Florida’s ballot initiative seeking to legalize marijuana use for adults in their shared home state.

Trump, running his third campaign for the White House in as many cycles, officially came out in support of the measure last week. That’s even as his vanquished presidential primary foe has invested significant political capital to defeat Amendment 3. DeSantis calls it a ploy by the state’s $2 billion medical marijuana industry to create a monopoly and says that its broad terms would allow people to carry dozens of pre-rolled “joints” and smoke them in public with no consequence.

Much like during the presidential primary — where most of the congressional delegation backed Trump, and state legislators went for the governor, save for a few prominent defectors — the state’s two most prominent Republican politicians are again forcing Republicans to pick sides. And although the governor’s concerns largely mirror most state Republicans’ long-established opposition to pot, DeSantis recently began chastising Republican lawmakers for not doing more to fight the measure and a separate initiative seeking to expand abortion rights.

“You say you’re all about these issues, and then when it’s time to do something about it you’re nowhere to be found,” DeSantis said during a recent discussion at a Tallahassee church. “That is what courageous leadership is all about.”




https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/19/trump-desantis-florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-00179847