Donald Trump Is Wrong on Amendment 3

In case you are not a Florida resident, there are several controversial proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot this November. The one getting the most attention – and deservedly so – is Amendment 4, which would legalize abortion at any stage of a woman’s pregnancy. This intentionally vague and deceptively worded amendment would effectively repeal Florida’s current 6-week abortion ban. It would also change parental consent to parental notification, which means that a minor child could get an abortion without their parents’ permission as long as the parents are notified after the fact.

Amendment 4 would also allow dozens of “healthcare providers” to determine whether a woman’s health would be negatively affected by carrying her baby to full term. Among those so-called providers who could approve an abortion are athletic trainers, massage therapists, acupuncturists, audiologists, podiatrists, social workers, dieticians, dental hygienists, radiologists, and speech pathologists.

It's no wonder that – with a little prodding – President Trump finally came out against Amendment 4, although he still thinks Florida’s 6-week abortion ban is too extreme. Thankfully, in the Sunshine State, a proposed amendment must pass by 60%, not a simple majority, but polls show that it is going to be a very close vote.

Meanwhile, Amendment 3 is flying somewhat under the radar. Here is how it reads…

“Allows adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise…”

As everyone suspected, once the cannabis lobby got medical marijuana approved in Florida, they are now attempting to make recreational use legal as well. Unbelievably, at least to me, President Trump supports this measure.

Here is why he is dead wrong…

Having spent 35 years ministering to an estimated 500,000 inmates in more than 400 different correctional institutions across North America and Africa, I think I know a little about the causes and effects of incarceration. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 80% of all prisoners are being held for drug-related offenses including sale or possession, committing a crime under the influence of drugs, or committing a crime to get money to buy drugs. Even if you limit those offenses to just sale and possession of illegal drugs, that would include a whopping 44% of all inmates in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

A second reason why President Trump is wrong to support Amendment 3 and recreational marijuana use is that I have yet to meet an inmate who is in prison on a drug-related charge who didn’t start his criminal behavior by smoking pot. No one begins with heroin, cocaine, or even fentanyl. Instead, they start by smoking a joint and progress from there to much harder drugs. That is why marijuana is considered a “gateway” drug, because it is a stepping stone to more dangerous substances.

Another reason why I strongly disagree with President Trump’s position on Amendment 3 is that Florida’s roads are hazardous enough without drivers who are high on marijuana getting behind the wheel. Whereas most states that have legalized recreational marijuana use do not permit it to be smoked while driving, there is nothing preventing a driver from getting a buzz before he turns the ignition switch.

According to the Law Office of Kinney, Fernandez and Boire, marijuana use can have the following effects…

• Slowed ability to react to changing road or traffic conditions or hazards.
• Impaired ability to remember.
• Impaired coordination.
• Difficulty concentrating and focusing on driving.
• Impaired judgment and ability to judge time and distance.

Not only that, but THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, is detectable for up to 90 days in hair, anywhere between 1 day to a month or longer in urine (depending on how often the individual uses it), up to 24 hours in saliva, and up to 12 hours in blood. According to the American Addiction Centers, “THC, a highly fat-soluble compound, has a very long half-life—the amount of time it takes the concentration of THC in the body to decrease by half. How long residual THC levels remain in the body depends on an individual’s marijuana use. For example, one study found that the half-life was 1.3 days for individuals who infrequently used marijuana. More frequent use showed a half-life of somewhere between 5 and 13 days.”

The bottom line is that recreational marijuana use is a timebomb waiting to explode… and I don’t want to be in the vicinity when it does. Nor do I want to smell or inhale second-hand marijuana smoke, a once rare occurrence that is becoming increasingly commonplace.

Folks, there is simply no rational reason to legalize recreational marijuana use in the State of Florida or anywhere else for that matter. And so, when you go to the polls on November 5th, don’t just Vote No on Amendment 4, but also turn a big thumbs down to Amendment 3.