Donald Trump says ‘it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations’ over marijuana use: ‘We must also implement…’
Donald Trump has stressed that “it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults” for using small amounts of marijuana for personal use.
Donald Trump took to Truth Social to stress that “it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults” for using small amounts of marijuana for personal use. This comes days after the former president signalled he will vote in favour of legalising marijuana for personal use in Florida.
“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” Trump wrote in a September 9 Truth Social post. “We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product. As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November.”
Trump added, “As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”
‘Someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other states’
Trump previously said that voters are likely to approve the measure "whether people like it or not" and therefore "it should be done correctly.” This stance puts Trump at odds with other Republican figures, including Ron DeSantis. The Florida Governor previously said that legalising recreational cannabis use would "be bad for quality of life.” Back in 2016, medicinal marijuana was made legal in Florida.
The Pew Research Centre says that cannabis for personal and medical use is legal in 24 US states. 14 more states have legalised medical marijuana.
Trump previously said, “Someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other states. We do not need to ruin lives and waste taxpayer dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them."
Recently, Trump's former Attorney General William Barr accused the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration of politicising the legalisation of Cannabis and ignoring the scientific evidence. "We hear a lot from the current administration about the ‘rule of law,'" Barr wrote in a Fox News op-ed. "But by ignoring legal standards and scientific evidence in its rush to loosen restrictions on marijuana, the Biden-Harris administration is riding roughshod over the rule of law and playing fast and loose with the health and safety of the American people — all for political gain."