Marijuana Legalization: Two-Thirds of Americans Now Support Its Use - Essay Sample

Introduction

American society is slowly changing and accepting the societal positions of drugs such as marijuana in the medical sector. According to a Pew Research study, approximately two-thirds of Americans view marijuana as legal (). The sentiments are also shared by some political members, such as the majority of Floridian political representatives. The Pew Research data identified that between 2010 and 2019, public opposition towards marijuana dropped from over 50% to under 30% (). The legalization of marijuana in Florida has mainly been accepted for medical purposes, with the majority of the population utilizing it for recreational reasons. Additionally, the government's cost in prohibiting the use of the drug and funding specialized law enforcement agencies in controlling the drug is prohibitive and expensive (). Nonetheless, with other states legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the state of Florida, which has historically among the harshest punishments for marijuana use, changed its directive in 2016, allowing for its medical use.

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U.S. House Representative Matt Gaetz

The campaign for marijuana legalization has been a topic of focus for Florida House Representative Matt Gaetz. A member of the Republican Party, Matt Gaetz’s position covers a large portion of West Florida with areas such as Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola, Navarre and Destin. He represents the 1st district of Florida after winning the position during the 2016 election. Nonetheless, Gaetz’s position on marijuana has been for the legalization of the drug evidenced in his campaigns, website, and social media accounts.

In 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions introduced new measures for the federal suppression of medical and recreational marijuana (Andrews & Andrews, 2018). The impact was severe with the Sessions claiming that the drug is more potent compared to what previous generations experienced with the drug. Representative Matt Gaetz openly criticized the attorney general's actions, claiming that it was “…a very boomer approach…” (Johnson, 2019).

Florida currently has the highest percentage of senior citizens in the country, and with medical procedures being too intrusive, some rely on medical marijuana for various medical advantages. It has allowed the Floridian cannabis market to be recognized as among the fastest-growing immediately after Oklahoma. According to an independent survey by the multi-state marijuana operator, Trulieve, over 40% of marijuana sales are to adults over the age of 50 (Jouniari, 2017).

Matt Gaetz has also been proactive in congress with his push for legalizing marijuana through the Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2019 ("Congressman Matt Gaetz Introduces the Medical Cannabis Research Act", 2019). Though the bill would not have any effect on the current state of marijuana legalization legislation at the state, federal and local levels, it demonstrates his determination to ensure the drug is available for most of his represented population in Florida. The current structure of the law has limited research into marijuana and its wide range of medical and recreational benefits hence the need to legalize it.

U.S. Senator Richard Lynn Scott

Though Matt Gaetz has demonstrated his support for the legalization of marijuana for both recreation and medical uses, similar notions cannot be shared with the current Floridan Senator Rick Scott. Richard Lynn Scott is a recognized American politician who is the current Junior U.S senator for Florida. Before assuming the position, he was the Governor for Florida under the Republican party ("Rick Scott", 2020). In 2018, while still governor, he attempted to stop patients with chronic diseases from smoking medical marijuana (McAuliffe, 2018). The notion did not consider the medical potential of the drug for patients with chronic illnesses. The former governor openly opposed the constitutional amendment approved by over 70% of Floridian voters on the legalization of cannabis for specific patients (Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, 2018). By enacting a law against smoking of medical marijuana, chronic patients claimed it increased the difficulty of attaining similar reliefs when using edibles and oils.

Currently, Rick Scott's objectives of limiting the use of medical marijuana have reduced with the appointment new Floridian governor. Scott's past political actions depict his distrust of medical and recreational marijuana. In 2018, after banning the smoking of marijuana, Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers declared the ban as a violation of the patients’ constitutional right to medical access (Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, 2018). The court deemed the right to use the various forms of medical marijuana for treatment was recommended, especially for patients with chronic illnesses. The directives were not respected, and an appeal was filed.

During a 2018 interview, Rick Scott was asked about his position on medical marijuana and the controversy concerning the ban on smoking medical marijuana. His response was characterized as dull, indirect, and inconclusive compared to the asked question (Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, 2018). His response focused on the notion that medical professionals have the potential to develop and prescribe medication that does not require smoking. When the opinions of the judiciary in response to the issue at hand was asked, his response was vague. The 2016 ballot approval for medical cannabis measures in Florida has been an issue of controversy for Rick Scott and his administration. Then governor, Rick Scott, did not support the legalization of medical marijuana, and his administration fought patients’ efforts to allow the consumption of smokable medical marijuana (Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, 2018). The actions against marijuana were also regarded as a waste of taxpayer resources by Trump supporter Roger Stone. Overall, the political ground over medical marijuana in Florida demonstrates the disconnect between the desires of the people and politicians' objections.

References

Andrews, S., & Andrews, N. (2018). Jeff Sessions Struggles to Get Planned Marijuana Crackdown Going. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeff-sessions-struggles-to-get-planned-marijuana-crackdown-going-1528628400.

Congressman Matt Gaetz Introduces the Medical Cannabis Research Act. (2019). Congressman Matt Gaetz. https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-introduces-medical-cannabis-research-act.

Johnson, M. (2019). Matt Gaetz to Kellyanne Conway over marijuana legalization: 'OK, boomer'. The Hill. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/471794-matt-gaetz-to-kellyanne-conway-over-marijuana-legalization-ok-boomer.

Jouniari, R. (2017). Is Cannabis A Medicine? Florida Patient Data Says Absolutely. Compassionate Cannabis Clinic. https://venicecare.com/cannabis-medicine-patient-data-says-absolutely/.

McAuliffe, D. (2018). Rick Scott talks pot, Donald Trump. Florida Politics. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/266294-rick-scott-talks-pot-donald-trump.

Rick Scott. Ballotpedia. (2020). https://ballotpedia.org/Rick_Scott.

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board. (2018). Rick Scott's fight against smoking medical marijuana could affect next presidential race. Sun-sentinel.com. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/fl-op-editorial-scott-marijuana-opposition-20180626-story.html.