Amendment 3 would legalize recreational marijuana use for individuals 21 or older and would permit the sale of marijuana by medical marijuana treatment centers. Proponents argue it would expand access to safe and regulated products, would generate revenue and create job opportunities and would boost health, safety, economic growth and personal freedom.
Amendment 4 would repeal Florida’s standing law which prevents abortion after six weeks. It is endorsed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, but opposed by the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, and several other groups – including DeSantis and the Florida Republican Party.
Both amendments appear on the state's Nov. 5 ballot and require 60% voter support to pass.
DeSantis believes the marijuana amendment will out-perform the abortion amendment.
“I think both will fail to get 60 [percent], but people have got to go out there and vote. Make sure you’ve voting 'no' on both of these amendments. Certainly, both of these have the potential to be very close,” the governor said in exclusive comments to American Family Radio Monday.
A campaign of dishonesty by abortion rights groups has backfired, the governor said.
“I think Amendment 4 is in real trouble because they’ve basically lied to people,” DeSantis told show host Jenna Ellis. “The commercials they run talk about women who are raped. They talk about miscarriages. They talk about all these things, which have nothing to do with Florida law.”
The DeSantis administration has pushed back vigorously.
“There’s been an effort by the state to correct the record … through provider announcements, but also through public service announcements, saying, ‘Hey, here's Florida's Heartbeat Protection Act. Here's what it does. Here are the exceptions.’ There's nothing in Florida law that would ever prevent a physician from providing necessary medical care to an expectant mother.”
A successful night for Amendment 4 would take Florida from one of the most pro-life states to one with almost zero abortion restrictions.
The text of the measure is intentionally vague, DeSantis argued. It authorizes abortion with no questions asked through six months, but any "healthcare provider" can approve an abortion at any time in the pregnancy.
The power of ‘healthcare provider’
“'Healthcare provider' – that's a specific phrase they chose," DeSantis explained. "That's much broader than just being a medical doctor. You will end up having non-physicians who will be quarterbacking these abortion clinics; green-lighting elective abortions up until birth, effectively; and yes, eventually funded by the taxpayer,” he added.
Some in the pro-choice camp have said they oppose state protections for the unborn because the decision to complete a pregnancy is a private one. But the amendment text gives an incredible amount of authority to any vaguely described “healthcare provider,” which could be any level of employee at an abortion clinic on any given day.
“They say they think it's a decision between the mother and the doctor. Well, this says to me doctors can be cut out. You wouldn't even need to have a doctor. So how crazy is that?” DeSantis wondered.
The Republican governor calls the amendment more extreme than anything currently on the books in Colorado, California or Minnesota.
Amendment 3 – a business power grab
Backers of legalized marijuana say their amendment advances the rights of individuals in the state – but at the same time it tramples the rights of others, DeSantis stated.
The text gives Floridians the right to possess and smoke certain amounts of marijuana but not the right to grow it – something the governor says immediately points to a money-making power grab for certain businesses.
“This is not about freedom, because if it was, the first thing they would have said is you can grow your own. They're not doing it. It's about corporate profits,” he emphasized.
What’s missing, he continued, is protection for people who choose not to consume marijuana. Amendment 3 provides such freedom for the marijuana user that it neglects the non-user.
“The fact is, this amendment has zero limitations on public smoking of marijuana. We've seen Denver get overwhelmed, San Francisco, Manhattan, all these places where it just permeates these cities. You should have the freedom as a Floridian to breathe clean air, to walk down the street, to go to a restaurant without having marijuana intrude upon you,” DeSantis said.
Marijuana marketing bad for children
DeSantis argued Amendment 3 is dangerous for Florida children. Should it pass, he said, they’ll be subject to click marketing and products from marijuana companies.
A group opposing Amendment 3 ran commercials in which an ER doctor from California discussed the numbers of young children coming in for help after consuming marijuana “gummies” in that state.
“They’re packaged in ways that look like candy, like 'Sour Patch' kids," the governor lamented. "It would definitely be harmful. We can argue about the scope of the harm, but there is no scenario where kids in Florida are better off for passing Amendment 3.”
