2024-09-05 12:42:32
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Saturday that he supports the adoption of an amendment to legalize recreational use of cannabis (a psychoactive drug) for adults in Florida, his home state.
A constitutional referendum on the issue will be held in Florida in November, in conjunction with the US presidential election. Legalisation of recreational cannabis use is a sensitive issue for young voters and a majority of those under 50 want the issue to be approved.
“In Florida, as in other states that have passed it, a certain amount of marijuana per person will be authorized for adults,” Trump wrote on his network, Truth Social.
“No one should be classified as a criminal in Florida for what is legal in so many other states. We do not need to waste lives and taxpayer dollars arresting adults for possession of quantities of marijuana for personal use,” he added.
Trump, however, called for a law to be passed banning public use of cannabis “so that it is not felt everywhere, as it is in so many cities governed by Democrats.”
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said he would leave the regulation of the issue to local authorities.
But once in the White House, he was more discreet and even supported tough positions on this issue promoted by his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.
In 2018, he revoked the federal policy of tolerance applied by the administration of his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, regarding the legalization of recreational use of marijuana, giving prosecutors free rein to go after ordinary consumers.
Although three-quarters of Americans live in states where cannabis is legal, it is not yet legal at the federal level. The Justice Department under Democratic President Joe Biden published a recommendation in May to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug than it is currently considered.
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© Agence France-Presse
