Florida

Amendment 3: Will pot legalization spark a stoned driving epidemic in Florida?

Published

2 hours ago

August 25, 2024

Amendment 3: Will pot legalization spark a stoned driving epidemic in Florida?

As Florida voters consider legalizing marijuana in November, opponents are painting a scary picture of what might happen: an epidemic of stoned driving that will make the state’s roads more dangerous and deadly.

But the research from other states that have legalized pot isn’t conclusive, and backers of Amendment 3 argue treating the drug like alcohol — making it legal but regulated — will make Floridians safer.

Two of Florida’s largest and most influential law enforcement groups are opposed to the measure, convinced it will lead to more deaths on the road.

If they need an example, they can highlight the horrific May accident in Ocala that killed eight farmworkers. Their bus was hit by a truck driven by a man who told police he’d smoked marijuana oil and taken prescription drugs.

Paula Cobb, whose daughter was killed near the University of Central Florida by a driver police believe was impaired by marijuana, said Florida will need a plan — and tougher penalties for those who smoke and get behind the wheel — if the ballot measure passes.

“We’ve got to better enable our law enforcement and give them better tools, better education, stronger regulations and guidance,” said Cobb, who lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

Her daughter, London Harrell, then a UCF senior, was struck by a hit-and-run driver when she was walking home in 2019 from The Knight’s Pub near campus. The driver, Yousuf Hasan, left Harrell dying in the street. Hasan, 30, failed a field sobriety test and a blood test detected the active ingredient in marijuana. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Cobb doesn’t oppose legalization, but she thinks states need to be prepared. In particular, she said educational campaigns are important to hammer home the dangers of marijuana and driving to the public.

The amendment needs at least 60% support from Florida voters in the Nov. 5 election to make recreational marijuana legal. Several polls have shown Amendment 3 clearing that threshold, though one from Florida Atlantic University showed it just short with 56% support.

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and impaired driving has been an issue for policymakers. Minnesota launched a massive public education campaign to coincide with marijuana legalization warning about the dangers of smoking and driving and reiterating that driving stoned is a crime. Colorado includes representatives from the marijuana industry on its DUI task force.

The Florida Highway Patrol already has highlighted the issue of marijuana-impaired driving with a “Drive Baked, Get Busted” campaign. The agency rolled out billboards, posters and video ads in 2018 in the wake of the state’s vote to legalize medical marijuana.

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‘Marijuana DUIs are difficult to detect’

Finding and then successfully prosecuting marijuana-impaired drivers isn’t easy, said Joel Leppard, an Orlando DUI lawyer.

“Marijuana DUIs are difficult to detect,” he said. “Officers are trained to spot drunk drivers, not stoned ones. The roadside exercises they use are designed for alcohol, not marijuana. And the experts who are trained to recognize drug impairment — there aren’t many of them, so they rarely get involved in these cases.”

While marijuana breathalyzers are in development, no reliable one is widely available. Florida and many other states have no standard limit for marijuana’s active ingredient in the blood, meaning there is no clear threshold for prosecution as there is with alcohol. Marijuana can also linger in the system for weeks, making it hard to establish if someone drove under the influence.

As marijuana becomes legal across the country, specialized officers known as drug-recognition experts are in short supply.

Law enforcement agencies in Florida have 342 drug-recognition experts, who are trained to spot drug-impaired drivers, according to the the International Association of Chiefs of Police. That’s about one drug-recognition expert per 66,000 Floridians.

The Florida Highway Patrol has 54, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has six drug-recognition experts. But all county officers receive generalized draining on driving under the influence, said Michelle Guido, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina is among law enforcement leaders with concerns about legalization, issuing a statement that voters should consider the dangers of impaired driving. The Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association oppose Amendment 3.

Marijuana is already available through an unregulated street market, said Morgan Hill, a spokeswoman for Safe & Smart Florida, the group backing Amendment 3, when asked about the issue of pot-impaired driving.

“We expect adults to make responsible choices and believe no one should be driving under the influence of any substance,” she said. “We look forward to working with the Legislature to ensure there is continued education and common-sense regulation to support our law enforcement officers to identify and stop impaired driving of any kind.”

How dangerous is stoned driving?

Marijuana affects driving by slowing reaction times, impairing judgment of distance and decreasing coordination, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Guohua Li, a researcher at Columbia University, has been studying whether marijuana legalization results in more deadly crashes.

I It’s complicated to draw conclusions from crash statistics because traffic deaths in recent years have been affected by improved car-safety features and ride sharing services like Uber making it easier for intoxicated people to avoid driving.

And studying marijuana-related driving deaths can be tricky as some drivers could test positive for the drug, even if they smoked a week before the crash. In other cases, a driver might have used marijuana but also other drugs or alcohol, making it hard to tease out pot’s role in a crash.

Roadway deaths declined consistently for 30 years, but progress stalled over the past decade and went in the wrong direction in 2020 and 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Studies on marijuana legalization’s role in this trend delivered conflicting results, but Li said he thinks legalization has led to more traffic deaths.

“More scientifically rigorous methods have shown that legalization of recreational cannabis is associated with modest but statistically significant increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes,” he said.

Research has shown marijuana is even more dangerous if it is mixed with alcohol, which is becoming more common with legalization, Li added.

Legalization advocates, however, note a study that showed changes in traffic death rates for Washington and Colorado were not statistically different from those in similar states that did not legalize marijuana.

In 2023, marijuana was involved in 190 traffic deaths in Florida, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It’s possible those cases involved multiple drugs as the state does not provide statistics on crashes in which only marijuana was used.

People need to think of the consequences impaired driving could have on others, Cobb said.

Her daughter’s future looked bright, she said. An event management major at UCF, Harrell had just completed a summer internship in Amsterdam. Aside from her studies, she helped to raise money for sick children and cancer patients.

“He took her life,” Cobb said. “He took so much away from the world — the potential that she already realized and the greatness of the person that she was.”

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Florida

Who is YNW Melly? Update on Rapper’s Florida Retrial in Death Penalty Case

Published

9 hours ago

August 25, 2024

Press Room

Who is YNW Melly? Update on Rapper’s Florida Retrial in Death Penalty Case

A date for YNW Melly’s double murder retrial has been set – but the rapper will have to wait over a year behind bars for it.

Court records show that Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Maurice Demons, is set for retrial on September 25, 2025. A pre-trial hearing is set for December 5, 2024.

Melly’s lawyer David Howard declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.

The rapper’s first double murder trial ended in a mistrial after a Miami jury could not unanimously decide whether he was guilty or not guilty.

“These types of decisions, they’re hard decisions,” Judge John Murphy said to deadlocked jurors. “We very much appreciate the fact that you gave us the time because we’ve been here a long time. We understand that. You gave us the time and you did your best effort to [bring about resolution], but unfortunately that wasn’t able to happen.”

Jamell Demons, also known as rapper YNW Melly, waits in the courtroom for a question from the jury as they deliberate at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, July 22, 2023….

Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

Who is YNW Melly?

YNW Melly, 25, is a rapper and songwriter from Gifford, Florida, best known for his breakout hit Murder on My Mind and Mixed Personalities featuring Kanye West.

His legal troubles began making headlines in 2019 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

On October 26, 2018, YNW Melly was accused of fatally shooting two of his friends, Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), in Miramar, Florida.

Prosecutors claim that YNW Melly, along with fellow rapper YNW Bortlen (Cortlen Henry), staged the murders to look like a drive-by shooting. Melly was arrested in February 2019 and has been in jail since.

A self-recorded video of Melly stuffed inside a suitcase before turning himself into police in Miramar police was shown in court, but not to jurors.

“My name is Melly, and I’m going to turn myself in,” he whispers in the February 2019 video. “But I’m in a suitcase because these c—kers are arresting me, and I want to get on a private jet so they don’t see me.”

YNW Bortlen was also arrested as an accomplice. Both were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Melly.

Prosecutors claim that forensic evidence, including phone records and ballistic reports, shows Melly’s involvement in the killings. They allege that Melly shot both victims from inside the car and then worked with YNW Bortlen to stage the crime scene.

The exact motive behind the alleged murders remains unclear, though there have been various theories, including disputes over money or power within the group. The State of Florida is seeking the death penalty, citing the premeditated nature of the crime, Melly’s alleged actions to cover it up, and the brutality of the incident.

The trial has faced multiple delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and legal maneuvering by the defense.

Melly also faces legal challenges related to his time in jail, including accusations of conspiracy to escape from prison, though these have not been substantiated.

Melly is being held at the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale. In September, a judge denied his lawyers’ request for bond as he awaits retrial.

Bortlen was freed on bond in August 2021 but reportedly arrested on witness tampering charges following a Miami home raid by law enforcement in October 2023. He was originally slated to begin his trial that same month but it has been rescheduled.

Bortlen has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Florida since October.

Multiple Personality Disorder

In 2022, Melly’s legal team filed a motion to declare him mentally incompetent to stand trial, although the prosecution has contested this claim.

Melly told Complex in 2019 that he has multiple personality disorder, a dissociative disorder that involves having two or more distinct identities within the same person. Melly claimed to have six personalities but has only revealed Melly and Melvin.

“Melvin’s not an alter ego; it’s a person,” he told the outlet. “I got mixed personalities. It’s another person.”

“Melly is a joker. He’s just the one that everybody loves, and he loves everybody,” he continued. “Melvin is the one that protect Melly from the wrong people.”

Melly has also claimed that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD.

Hip Hop on Trial — Photo-illustration by Newsweek, Amy Beth Bennett, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Natrice Miller

Other Rapper Trials

The murder of Tupac Shakur remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in the history of hip-hop and popular culture. Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He succumbed to his injuries six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.

Last October, a suspect was finally charged with Shakur’s murder. Prosecutors claim Duane “Keefe D” Davis was the gang leader who orchestrated the killing and is the only person still alive who was allegedly in the car from which the shots were fired.

Meanwhile, Patrick Clark, the man who allegedly shot and killed Migos rapper Takeoff in 2022, has a court date set for January 23, 2024.

Young Thug is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets individuals who commit offenses under a criminal organization in 2022. Williams and other defendants are facing charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun charges. His trial remains ongoing.

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com

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Florida

Florida wins U.S. title, faces Taiwan in LLWS final

Published

16 hours ago

August 24, 2024

Press Room

Florida wins U.S. title, faces Taiwan in LLWS final

Aug 24, 2024, 06:49 PM ET

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Everything seemed to be going Texas’ way.

The Southwest region champ was ahead 4-0 over Florida in the third inning Saturday in the U.S. bracket title game at the Little League World Series. Starting pitcher Julian Hurst hadn’t given up a hit, much less a run, and had beaten the team from Florida on Monday.

Then things got crazy. Three lead changes later, Florida is headed to LLWS championship on Sunday. Luis Calo hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning as Lake Mary, Florida, beat Boerne, Texas, 10-7 in a semifinal matchup.

“We’ve prepared for this, we’ve worked for this,” manager Jonathan Anderson said. “It’s been our summer.”

Florida, the Southeast region representative, will take on Taiwan, a 4-1 winner over Venezuela, on Sunday afternoon. It will be the first appearance by a Florida team in the title game since 2003, when East Boynton Beach fell 10-1 to Musashi-Fuchi of Japan.

Texas seemed in control after Doc Mogford hit a two-run double past the outstretched glove of Jacob Bibaud, which made it 4-0.

Florida’s comeback started an inning later, when James Feliciano got a popup to drop for an RBI single. An inning after that, Teraj Alexander capped a four-run rally when he stole home, giving Florida its first lead of the game at 5-4.

“I saw the catcher was looking into the hill,” Alexander said. “I just started creeping. Then once I thought I had it, like 100 percent, I just took off.”

After Texas rallied for three runs, Florida came into its final at-bat in the sixth inning down 7-5.

But Bibaud hit a ground ball that bounced through the infield, bringing in Feliciano and cutting the lead to 7-6. A sacrifice fly from Liam Morrisey brought in Garrett Rohozen to tie the score.

After Calo smacked his go-ahead hit, Morrisey — in as a courtesy runner — stole third and went to score when an error left the ball loose down the third-base line.

“I know I pushed them hard, and I know I told them that that work would get them to the promised land. And I’m sure they didn’t believe me,” Anderson said. “But here we are, boys, here we are. Job’s not done. We got one more. But boy, are we close.”

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Florida

FSU football fans don’t forget: Kirk Herbstreit booed whenever he talks on College GameDay

Published

23 hours ago

August 24, 2024

Press Room

FSU football fans don’t forget: Kirk Herbstreit booed whenever he talks on College GameDay

If you thought Florida State football fans’ animosity toward Kirk Herbstreit would cool off over the offseason, think again.

ESPN College GameDay was in Dublin, Ireland for the first game of the 2024 college football season between FSU and Georgia Tech. That means thousands of Seminoles fans who made the trip got their chance to speak their minds about the college football analyst and what he’s said about the program since last season.

Just about every time Herbstreit opened his mouth on the popular pregame show, he was greeted to an audible chorus of boos. Every now and then, chants of “f— Kirk Herbstreit” could be heard.

Why are Florida State fans booing Kirk Herbstreit?

Throughout the 2023 season, “Herbie” was among those who didn’t think FSU should be included in the four-team College Football Playoff. That opinion became even more pronounced after the Seminoles lost quarterback Jordan Travis to a leg injury late in the season. Even after FSU finished with a 13-0 record and an ACC championship, Herbstreit was adamant that the Seminoles didn’t belong in the CFP.

There’s another elephant in the room, too. FSU fans and others across conferences have always felt an ESPN bias towards the SEC during the season and CFP selection show. Florida State would get snubbed for one-loss SEC champion Alabama and one-loss Texas, which would join the SEC the following year.

Herbstreit continued to double-down on his opinion and openly argued with FSU fans on social media. Not even his attempt to smooth things over helped when he called on the college football world to applaud the Seminoles for what they accomplished and repeatedly said he had nothing against FSU.

Nick Saban defends Kirk Herbstreit from FSU football fans

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban is a new member of the College GameDay cast this season. He had this to say in defense of Herbstreit:

“I just want Kirk to know I got a thousand phone calls when we got in the playoffs. He didn’t have anything to do with them not getting in the playoffs, and I didn’t either.”

FSU football fans bring signs, shirts to boo Kirk Herbstreit

Here’s a look at some of the social media posts and signs that FSU fans used to show their displeasure at Herbstreit.

How to watch Florida State vs Georgia Tech: Time, TV channel, streaming

Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Contributing: Tallahassee Democrat sports editor Jim Henry and Florida State reporter Peter Holland Jr.

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