I wrote in to the Editor of Florida Today Newspaper, but they declined to publish my letter. In publishing this now, I am indeed behind the curve as elections are now happening in Florida, but I decided I wanted to express my opinion regardless if anyone actually saw it. Floridians have a fatal flaw. They seem to be readily able and willing to amend the state constitution at a whim even when the item in question can be handled in other lawful directives.

I am addressing here the latest version of this effort to modify the Florida Constitution, Amendment 3. The only people who will benefit from this are the people who stand to profit from it. This means the growers, as you won’t be able to grow your own, and the investors. In addition, why are lawyers so insistent that this pass? Hmm…

Below is my letter to Florida Today.

 

We are in danger of adding yet one more destructive substance to the realm of legality. I am speaking of Amendment 3 and the legalization of recreational marijuana.

The issue is not so much the substance, but people. Yes, people. We already have people texting and driving. Talking and driving. Web surfing and driving. Drinking and driving. And I once saw someone eating a bowl of cereal while driving. I was next to someone on I95 last week going 85 mph while browsing on his phone. All this distracted driving is a real danger to the lives of our citizens everywhere.

If it was a case of folks partaking at home, having a good time and staying there, I wouldn’t have a problem per se. But we all know that won’t happen. People will be driving around eating edibles and smoking all versions of the drug, and this will result in more drivers being distracted and worse, seriously impaired.

According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Association) impaired driving due to alcohol results in 37 deaths a day. That is a fatality every 39 minutes. In 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol related driving / traffic deaths.

That’s 13, 524 deaths due to being impaired that could have been prevented by not getting into a vehicle. This is not just drunk drivers dying, but other drivers, families, children. It’s what some people call collateral damage. This also has a large effect on what we all pay for car insurance.

Now they want to add marijuana to the list of legal intoxicants. I am sorry, but I can’t agree with this amendment. 

Per Drugs.com, the side effects from using marijuana are blood pressure changes, dizziness, drowsiness, respiratory function impairment, memory impairment, cancer risks, mood disorders, in addition of increased effects of slowing reaction times, and negatively affecting decision making.  None of these combine well with operating a motor vehicle.

Remember, the people who want this passed, are the people who stand to profit from it the most. In addition, many people who will use this substance are the ones who can afford it least both financially and Health-wise. It’s a drug. It’s destructive and it’s been proven. It’s also unknown what this will do to health insurance premiums and coverage.

I urge people to reconsider this path and to disallow the use of recreational marijuana with a constitutional amendment. We have far too many risks to contend with now, let’s not add another. Remember, we all have to drive someone we love somewhere and we deserve to be safe while doing so.