Florida
Why Florida could end up with the same issues as NY if it makes pot legal
When Floridians go to the polls this November, they’ll be deciding an important question: whether to let businesses sell marijuana, as they’re currently able to do in 24 other states, including New York.
Florida’s Amendment 3 commands some powerful supporters, including a recent endorsement by former President Donald Trump.
It’s a bellwether for marijuana legalization’s prospects nationwide.
But while backers have talked up the alleged injustice of marijuana prohibition, they’ve avoided discussing the real effect of the law: making it legal to profit off pot.
Amendment 3 would permit medical dispensaries and other, future license recipients to sell weed to any adult.
That’s reason enough for Floridians—and everyone else—to be skeptical of legalization.
A legal market would make big businesses happy, which is why they’ve spent so much pushing for one.
But Floridians shouldn’t trust their communities, or their kids, in the hands of profit-hungry drug companies.
To be sure, big business wants legal weed.
Florida is the second largest state (behind Texas) without a legal market.
For marijuana businesses, which have seen market values collapse amid struggles in other states, that’s an exciting prospect.
That’s why the Amendment’s main backer, the marijuana concern Trulieve, has poured $80 million into passing Amendment 3.
That’s nearly six times what opponents of the law have spent. But it’s a small fraction of what the billion-dollar business could make off of weed in Florida.
But can Floridians trust Trulieve?
This is the company that reached a six-figure settlement after one of its Massachusetts employees died from inhaling ground marijuana dust.
The state’s cannabis commission found that Trulieve failed to comply with workplace safety requirements; it no longer operates in the state.
This is the company that the CEO’s husband, J.T. Burnette, claimed in a secretly recorded conversation, got special help in cornering the Florida medical market.
Burnette, a Tallahassee businessman facing federal prison time for corruption, told an undercover federal agent that he had worked with a state legislator to keep potential competitors from securing medical licenses.
This is the company that wants to run the recreational market in Florida. Should Floridians let it?
The answer matters, because irresponsible marijuana legalization can create a massive mess.
The experience of other states shows as much.
Research from the Kansas City branch of the Federal Reserve, for example, finds that recreational legalization increases rates of addiction, chronic homelessness, and arrests by double-digit percentages.
It also makes life a little less pleasant. Stoned employees make workplaces a little worse, and marijuana-intoxicated accidents have risen steadily as states have legalized.
Dispensaries have been shown to lower nearby property values. And in many places, legalization produces the pervasive smell of pot smoke—a pollutant that Florida’s clean air laws don’t cover.
Legalization hurts kids, too.
It increases pediatric hospitalizations, as kids take a gummy meant for mom or dad and end up in the ER.
It increases the risk that teens will develop a “cannabis use disorder,” characterized by compulsive use in spite of negative consequences.
Some of those kids will go on to develop psychosis and schizophrenia.
New Yorkers know a thing or two about these problems.
Since legalization, it’s had to deal with a massive, sometimes-violent grey market, teens smoking in school, and the omnipresent smell of weed on city streets.
New York’s experience has been a warning to other states. It ought to be for Florida, too.
When Floridians go to the polls they need to remember what they’re really voting for.
They aren’t voting to keep their fellow citizens out of prison — nobody’s there for pot anyway.
They are voting to let powerful companies sell an addictive, harmful substance at a profit.
Floridians of good conscience can differ over whether they should smoke weed — it’s none of my business if you do.
But even those who like marijuana should be wary of mixing greed and weed. That’s a recipe for a disaster.
Charles Fain Lehman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal.
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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