TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Less than two weeks after election night, two very different messages have emerged from those campaigning for and against recreational marijuana. Third AmendmentIf approved, it would allow people 21 and over to use marijuana products without medical authorization.

In the days leading up to election night, some of Florida’s top officials are warning about A3’s approval. These include the governor, Florida’s first lady and, most recently, the state surgeon general, Dr. Joe Ladapo also appears.

Dr. “Policies that encourage its use are not good policies at all,” Ladapo said.

Dr. Ladapo is a controversial figure in Florida politics. Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and confirmed by the state Senate’s GOP majority, Ladapo has been hailed by his supporters as a defender of individual rights. He has also faced criticism from others for rejecting COVID mitigation practices such as masking and social distancing. More recently, his guidance on Covid-19 promoters has been called “misinformation” by some media outlets.

During our approximately 20-minute conversation chatDr. Ladapo did not explicitly encourage voters to reject the Third Amendment. Instead, it listed numerous marijuana health risks, many of which are supported by the National Institutes of Health. NIH reports links between heavy use and addiction, increased cancer risk, and even mental illness.

Dr. “It increases the risk of schizophrenia in young people,” Ladapo said. “Stone cold, I mean stone cold; solid evidence for that.”

But the General Surgery did not stop there. This medical scientist cited what he called “spiritual” concern.

“Drugs destroy our ability to be all that we can be, to be representations of God’s love, God’s light, God’s wisdom, God’s care,” Dr. Ladapo said. Ladapo. “And frankly, I see this as an even more compelling reason to avoid policies that encourage drug use, whatever they may be. In this case, we are talking about marijuana… I wouldn’t even call it moral because morality requires judgment.”

Ladapo’s comments are at the top of Governor DeSantis’ laundry list. forced Florida into a taxpayer-funded enterprise”PSAsWarns and explains the danger of use reporters approval would create a quality of life issue. Additionally, DeSantis frequently reminds us that cannabis companies like Trulieve need to benefit financially. Medical marijuana producer and distributor is a major contributor to Amendment 3, investing more than $80 million.

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers toured the state this week to demonstrate Florida’s strict safety measures regarding medical marijuana. In Tallahassee on Thursday, Rivers said he wants the same guardrails to be used for recreational use as well.

“These rules will apply to the adult-use market as well, and we expect these rules to apply to the adult-use market as well,” Rivers said. “So we have a framework. We’re not building it from scratch.”

CEO quotes data The fact that youth use decreased with legalization suggests that better regulations mean tighter access and fewer people mean illegal use. As for the huge financial boon for his company…

“We have 25 companies doing business right now,” Rivers said. “For example, there are more medical marijuana companies in the state of Florida than grocery chains. So the idea that there is no competition or a limited market is simply wrong. In fact, there are 22 more licenses on the governor’s desk waiting for his signature. “That means, you know, today or when this amendment goes into effect and is strictly implemented, we could have 47 companies authorized to do business in the State of Florida.”

Florida would also make more money, generating an estimated hundreds of millions in new tax revenue. This is one of the reasons why there is bipartisanship. coalition A group of state lawmakers backed the idea.

“So I’m a recovering lawyer, and I think they brainwashed me in law school to be a little bit more pessimistic,” Rivers said. “But I always run; I always say we run like we’re 10 points behind.”

Whether they are 10 points behind or ahead will be up to the voters. Now they’re considering what could be a history-making moment for Florida. Latest survey conducted by UNF It showed he probably had 66% support from Florida voters. This is beyond the 60 points needed. this is something new Florida Chamber the poll showed Amendment 3 at 57%.