BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Bradford County’s sheriff said he is supporting a constitutional amendment that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the Sunshine State.
Gordon Smith said Amendment 3 would strip illicit drug dealers of a revenue source and place the distribution of cannabis in the hands of regulated businesses, which would pay taxes on the sale of the substance.
The sheriff said he has been in other states where marijuana has been legalized and believes that with adequate controls, the drug would be less dangerous than it is now.
“I just think that it needs to be regulated and that we are a smart state with the best governor and the best state legislature we’ve probably ever had,” he said. “And I think once it’s passed, they’ve got to figure out how to regulate it. I think we can better control it than the dope man can.”
It’s already in the hands of young people
Smith said he disagreed with opponents of the measure who claim the amendment would make the mind-altering drug more available to minors.
“The adage is that it’s going to put more dope in the hands of young people,” he said. “Well, I’m here to tell you it’s already in the hands of young people.”
The sheriff said that in states where minors are educated about marijuana use, teenagers’ use of the drug has declined between 5% and 7%.
He added that the use of opioids and alcohol has dropped in states that have legalized products from the psychoactive plant because people are choosing marijuana over other alternatives to relieve pain.
“And alcohol is probably killing more people individually than anything else we have,” he said.
It’s ruined good people
Smith’s stand follows a policy change he instituted several years ago, instructing his deputies to issue notices to appear in court for first-time offenders caught with less than 20 grams of cannabis instead of arresting the offenders.
He said that although courts punish reckless driving defendants worse than misdemeanor drug possession defendants, the real punishment for a drug possession arrest and conviction is that it stays on someone’s record for the rest of his life.
“It’s ruined good people,” Smith said of misdemeanor drug arrests.
“They can’t get jobs, and they are considered criminals for a misdemeanor amount of marijuana.”
“They can’t get a job with the city,” he continued. “They can’t get a job being a cop. They can’t get a job being a fireman. They can’t get a job as a teacher, can’t become a lawyer.”
“If you come here right now and say, sheriff, pull 10 applications for a deputy sheriff’s job,” he said. “I would guarantee eight or nine of those have said they’ve experimented with marijuana.”
Regulation is key
Smith said that although some states, like California, have botched regulating marijuana, others, such as Colorado, have put controls in place to protect minors.
He also said that the state can put the tax revenues generated by marijuana sales to better use than the corner drug dealer.
Smith noted that after Florida voters approved the medical use of marijuana in 2016, no one has made the case that the state is worse off after the change.
“Did you notice any difference in your community?” he asked. “We haven’t noticed any difference other than because they can get medical marijuana, opioid use, and prescription drug use goes down because people have found other ways of treating their illnesses, their pain or whatever through the medical marijuana use.”
Smith drew a parallel between moonshine and marijuana.
“Nobody buys moonshine anymore,” he declared. “You know why? I can go to the liquor store and find something with just as high a potency, but it’s regulated, it’s tested. You don’t know what you’re getting when you’re buying from the local dope man. You don’t know what’s in it.”
Smith said he has seen plenty of good kids killed because of fentanyl-laced marijuana.
“I’m tired of kids getting sick and dying,” he said. “They’re not bad kids. I just hate seeing the drug dealer winning.”
Smith said that although he may be one of the few Republicans and the only conservative sheriff publicly supporting Amendment 3, plenty of officeholders will vote for it without publicly declaring their support.
Smith also said that although he is still passionate about fighting crime, and his conservative politics remain intact, he has become convinced that a properly regulated marijuana industry will result in lower crime and a safer community.
“There’s nobody more conservative than I am,” the sheriff said. “Nobody has fought crime more than I have, and I’ve probably incarcerated, in this sheriff’s office, more than anybody else for less than 20 grams of marijuana. But there are only two people that can’t change their minds. And that’s a fool and a dead man.”
