Florida recreational marijuana ballot measure: Sides fired up over pot smell issue

A squabble over stench is escalating tensions between the campaign against Florida's recreational marijuana ballot measure and one of its backers, an influential Republican state lawmaker who is allied with former President Donald Trump.

Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota, a former Republican Party of Florida chair, recently announced his support of the measure, going against Gov. Ron DeSantis, state GOP leadership and other conservative critics.

Last week , Gruters joined two other lawmakers in promoting a plan that would ensure pot isn't publicly smoked. That came after DeSantis and others claimed that the proposal, known as Amendment 3, would lead to a prolific marijuana stench in communities all over the Sunshine State.

Vote No on 3, the campaign against the ballot question, bashed that plan Monday morning, calling it "Gruters' bail out bill." DeSantis' chief of staff, James Uthmeier, also helps run that campaign in a personal capacity.

Vote No on 3 argues there's no way the Florida Legislature can prevent public use of recreational marijuana with how the amendment is worded.

"While the mega-marijuana companies are now teaming up with Gruters to claim that they can fix the problem their amendment creates with a simple bill, they aren’t being honest with voters about why their amendment is flawed," the campaign said in a press release.

"The authors of this amendment and their allies are concealing the fact that they could have worded it correctly to begin with," it added.

Vote No on 3 points to a line in the amendment that says, "Nothing in this section shall require ... smoking medical marijuana in any public place," knocking how it only mentions "medical."

That is already in the state Constitution, placed there by 2016's medical marijuana amendment. Vote No on 3 says the medical part should have been removed in the revision.

Supporters say opponents 'mislead(ing) voters'

But other Amendment 3 language also says, "Nothing in this amendment prohibits the Legislature from enacting laws that are consistent with this amendment."

Smart & Safe Florida, the pro-amendment campaign, says the opponents "conveniently ignore" that part to "mislead voters."

"This language clearly gives the legislature the full authority to enact legislation on time, place, and manner, as well as additional regulations as it sees fit," said Morgan Hill, spokesperson for Smart & Safe Florida, in an emailed statement.

"This is just another example of government overreach and the use of scare tactics by the opposition. Adults should have the freedom to make responsible choices for themselves, especially as it relates to activities in their own homes."

Gruters said the opposition is being "intellectually dishonest."

"It's simple: The Legislature will have the ability to put guardrails up," he said. The Legislature often does so when it implements an amendment, sometimes controversially .

"There's no question about it," Gruters continued. "What they're quoting is from the medical marijuana language, and it's about not forcing people to make accommodations as a result of a medical issue."

Amendment 3 , if it gets at least 60% of the vote, would allow non-medical marijuana possession of up to 3 ounces, with no more than 5 grams in concentrated form, for those 21 years old and up.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida recreational marijuana ballot measure: Sides fired up over pot smell issue