Governor candidate Crist calls for full marijuana legalization

3 years ago 219

FILE - In this May 4, 2021, record photograph Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, gestures during a run rally arsenic helium announces his tally for Florida politician successful St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a campaigner for politician of Florida, said Thursday helium supports afloat marijuana legalization successful the authorities and wants to expunge each existing charges and sentences for misdemeanor and third-degree felony marijuana possession.

Crist besides said helium wants taxation gross collected from marijuana income to enactment cause attraction and diversion programs, arsenic good arsenic backing enactment for Florida’s nationalist schoolhouse teachers and constabulary officers. Crist said helium wants Floridians to beryllium capable to turn their ain marijuana, up to six plants.

The program is portion of his Justice for All platform, which helium says is aimed astatine rebuilding and reforming Florida’s transgression justness strategy and righting the wrongs that person historically and disproportionately impacted Floridians of color.

“Our ‘Justice for All’ program is my committedness and committedness to the radical of Florida that I won’t beryllium a politician who turns a unsighted oculus to injustices successful our communities,” Crist said. “That’s wherefore this program overhauls a strategy that has wounded and failed our people, predominantly Black and Brown Floridians, astatine astir each measurement of the way. We request to yet drawback up to the volition of the American radical with marijuana legalization.”

A canvass from March showed 59% of Floridians enactment the afloat legalization of marijuana for big usage and lone 31% expressed opposition.

Fellow Democrat Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner who is simply a proponent of marijuana legalization and who is besides moving for governor, called into question Crist’s past stance connected marijuana.

“Today, erstwhile Republican Governor and present Democratic campaigner Charlie Crist released a program to betterment marijuana sentencing laws successful Florida. The problem? Crist, arsenic governor, was liable for the implementation of galore of those laws successful the archetypal place,” Fried said successful a statement. “The past clip helium was governor, helium rejected unit from Republican colleagues to betterment Florida’s harsh cannabis sentencing laws, saying ‘I consciousness that our laws are bully successful Florida. They were thoughtfully enactment successful place... I don’t privation to sacrifice nationalist safety.’”

Imitation is flattery, but records are records. People went to jailhouse due to the fact that Republicans similar @CharlieCrist supported and enforced racist marijuana transgression bills. Glad he's changed his mind, but nary of those radical get those years back.

Legalize marijuana. #SomethingNew https://t.co/eSwnZR1VRh

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) October 14, 2021

The Florida Supreme Court rejected 2 abstracted proposals to enactment adult-use legalization of marijuana connected the 2022 ballot earlier this year. Some deliberation immoderate effort to legalize whitethorn person to hold until 2024, but according to Bay News 9, cannabis advocates person filed a petition successful an effort to get a law amendment backmost connected the ballot adjacent year. The radical present needs to cod astir 1 cardinal valid signatures by adjacent February to marque the ballot, according to Bay News.

If it does extremity up connected the ballot, astatine slightest 60% of voters would person to o.k. it for it to beryllium enacted.

About the Author:

Travis Gibson

Digital newsman who has lived successful Jacksonville for much than 25 years and focuses connected important section issues similar acquisition and the environment.

Read Entire Article