NORML Op-Ed: Cast the Fear-Mongering Aside – The Sky Won’t Fall if Florida Legalizes Marijuana

Florida already has real-world experience successfully regulating the retail sale and use of medical cannabis. Nearly one million Floridians are now registered with the state to purchase cannabis products from more than 600 licensed retailers. 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 None have ever repealed their laws.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 criminalizing cannabis.

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 they obtain cannabis products from licensed establishments. By contrast, only 6% of respondents say they primarily purchased cannabis from a “dealer.” In Canada, where marijuana sales have been regulated since 2018, nearly 70% of consumers say they purchase cannabis legally.

Criminalizing cannabis is a failed Florida policy. Let’s end it.

This commentary originally appeared in The Miami Herald.