Florida voters will soon decide whether to expand public access to marijuana

Florida is one of the largest producers and consumers of medical marijuana in the country.

In this election, Florida voters will decide whether marijuana should be made available to millions of people, allowing anyone 21 years of age or older to obtain and use marijuana without a prescription.

Jeff Rexford, 53, knows there are plenty of amendment skeptics, but he hopes voters will reconsider as he has.

“I wasn’t a marijuana fan a few years ago,” Rexford said. “I mean, you were getting it from your drug dealer on the street corner.”

Rexford changed his mind about marijuana because he said it changed his life. He says he once took painkillers for back pain, but says the drugs made him feel like a “zombie” because he was drowsy. He says gummy candies are now the best solution for him.

“They just take my pain away right away. I would say that after about 30 minutes I start to feel relief. And if I want instant relief, I’ll smoke a pre-rolled joint.”

Every week, Rexford picks up medical marijuana from the Sunnyside dispensary in Cape Coral. He says the daily dose has also improved his marriage – helping him through his long battle with anxiety and depression.

“It helps me communicate with my wife in a more civilized way. Don’t scream or shout. You know, if I was excited about something. It’s just a more relaxed feeling,” Rexford said.

Rexford is one of nearly 900,000 people who currently have a medical marijuana card in Florida. He believes more Floridians could experience similar benefits if marijuana were easier to obtain, which is why he supports legalizing recreational marijuana. He doesn’t fully understand the opposition.

“This is an uneducated age. Older people, older baby boomers, looked at it as a party drug. You know, back in the ’60s and ’70s, they didn’t realize there was any benefit to it,” Rexford said. “And now, as science progresses and we learn more about it, there is verifiable evidence that marijuana helps with many things: anxiety, depression, pain relief and more.”

Fort Myers businessman Cole Peacock also supports the measure, but not just for personal physical gain.

“This is a proven way to create jobs,” Peacock said.

Peacock is co-owner of Caloosahatchee Cannabis in downtown Fort Myers, a cafe that sells everything from coffee to beer infused with CBD, one of the active ingredients in the cannabis plant that doesn’t get people high. Peacock would like to be able to add recreational marijuana to his cafe’s products. He hopes to get a license from the state to sell recreational marijuana if voters approve Amendment 3. He has seen the benefits in his clients’ lives, as well as his own.

“It covers my back pain, muscle pain, ability to sleep and anxiety when something happens,” Peacock said.

Entrepreneur and business consultant helped bring medical marijuana to Florida. Peacock says the state’s economy will benefit financially from expanding recreational marijuana production if it is carefully regulated, pointing to the state’s successful oversight of medical marijuana.

“It pays very well, on average more than most industries. This applies to everything from construction to development to marketing to science to clean agriculture,” Peacock said. “Growing things requires buildings. These are big, massive objects.”

One of these large new businesses recently opened in North Florida. The 750,00 square foot marijuana cultivation facility built by Trulieve, Florida’s largest marijuana grower, is currently one of the largest of its kind in the country.

There are currently more than 660 pharmacies in the state, with about 30 in Southwest Florida. The medical marijuana industry is estimated to generate more than $2 billion in sales annually, but medical marijuana is not taxed. Proponents of Amendment 3 say marijuana can be used recreationally. Some economists predict marijuana sales could triple if the measure passes, and it could generate at least $200 million or more in state and local government revenue each year.

But Deborah Groczala sees danger in accepting the proposal because of the mental health consequences she and her family have experienced.

“My son actually became psychotic while smoking marijuana. He thought the FBI was wiretapping. He thought his girlfriend was having an affair. He thought that people were actually eavesdropping on him when he was at home. You know, he was actually very, very, very unusual,” Groczala said.

She works as a behavioral health specialist at Valiant Recovery in Punta Gorda, which treats people with substance use disorders. She says many people are unaware of the potential risks of frequent marijuana use and psychosis—a disconnect from reality. She is a recovering substance abuser herself. She says marijuana caused her severe paranoia.

“I had a marijuana psychosis when I smoked it before it was as powerful as it is now, thinking that people were talking about me. There’s a lot of weird, psychic stuff going on.” – said Grochala.

Although the long-term risks of marijuana are still being researched, there is growing evidence of potentially serious side effects. Several studies, including two from the UK and Denmark, suggest a link between frequent marijuana use and mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Scientists believe that high levels of THC, the mind-altering chemical in cannabis, may cause the disorder in people who have a genetic predisposition to it. The federal government says three out of 10 people who use marijuana will develop cannabis use disorder.

Gregory Collora is one of them. He is now a consultant at Valiant Recovery.

“I was first introduced to it probably around 15 or 16, and it took over my life after I smoked it,” Collora said.

He says marijuana was a gateway drug for him.

“I started down the dark path of drug addiction. I started trying to sell it, buy more, and it led me down a dark and dangerous path much further than I initially expected,” Collora said. “I thought it would just be fun and something to do. Recreational. And it turned into a lifelong illness.”

Collora and Grochala say legalizing marijuana would put more people’s lives at risk, not just those who use it.

“Because marijuana is as accessible as alcohol, it only creates more danger for people on the streets,” Collora said. “Every morning I look at our county sheriff’s website and I see all the drunk drivers and people driving irresponsibly, and I just feel like this would be another way to do that.”

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, who now heads the Florida Sheriffs’ Association, echoes Collora’s concerns. He expects an increase in marijuana-related drunk driving cases if the measure is approved. He believes the state won’t see the tax breaks touted by recreational marijuana advocates.

“They’re saying that for every dollar that’s generated in so-called recreational marijuana tax revenue, there’s $4.50 in costs associated with emergency room visits and law enforcement and everything else,” Prummell said.

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