Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis warned against passing a proposed amendment legalizing marijuana because it will lead to weed black markets and a worsened fentanyl crisis, she worried.
At her third campaign stop against the measure this week, called Amendment 3, DeSantis used many of the same points her husband, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, used earlier today: blasting the Amendment's backer, Trulieve, as a massive marijuana company attempting to creating a weed monopoly and worrying about the implications for children, among other things.
But First Lady DeSantis touched on another point: the fentanyl crisis.
"Everywhere that [recreational marijuana has been legalized]...a black market pops up because when you regulate a product, you're taxing that product, the price goes higher. So then, what happens? A black market comes in and swoops and undercuts the price," DeSantis said at a Jacksonville press conference Tuesday afternoon, an hour after Gov. DeSantis finished a Cape Coral event blasting Amendment 3.
"But that's not regulated...what about the fentanyl crisis that we're fighting? Look at all this stuff that's pouring across our southern border," she continued, pointing out that "one mistake with fentanyl" could end someone's life. To date, there has been no conclusive evidence of fentanyl-laced marijuana contributing to overdoses or deaths.
Fentanyl, an increasingly popular and highly deadly synthetic opiate, is responsible for the deaths of over a quarter million people since 2012. The number of U.S. fentanyl-related deaths in 2022 more than doubled the amount in 2019, and since 2016, more people have died from fentanyl than from prescription opioids. This is partially attributed to fentanyl being unknowingly laced into other drugs like cocaine and pills.
Approximately 80% of cocaine overdose deaths between 2013 and 2018 involved opiates, and three of four opioid deaths involved fentanyl, the Child Welfare League of America reported. China is the primary source of illicit fentanyl, which is trafficked through the U.S.-Mexico border in low-concentration, high-volume loads. Just two milligrams can be enough to kill an adult.
According to a Rutgers study, California cannabis busts sharply increased after they legalized marijuana in 2016. This included over $8 million of unregulated plants and over 100 illegal operations discovered in 2017. The report says that arrests for pot crimes sharply increased following the drug's legalization. Compounded by a $9.25 per ounce tax from the cultivator to the realtor and then a 15% excise tax on the consumer, underground marijuana dealers tend to be much cheaper.
However, looking at Florida, where only medical marijuana is currently legal, nearly 18% of Floridians admitted to using marijuana in 2022. That same year, just under 4% of Floridians were listed as medical marijuana patients. With that being said, Floridians likely are either trading in illegal methods to get marijuana or abusing the medical marijuana system.
If passed by 60% of Floridians, Amendment 3 would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over. The election is on Nov. 5.
