WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he supports a ballot initiative in Florida that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 years and older.
The statement, made on social media platform Truth Social late on Sunday, comes after a separate comment in late August in which he implied he was open to legalizing recreational marijuana use in the state.
Trump’s support of the ballot initiative, known as Amendment 3, comes even as some fellow Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have come out against the measure.
The former president will face off against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Polls indicate that the race is essentially tied.
“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” Trump wrote.
“As a Floridian, I will be voting YES in Amendment 3 this November.”
In his Sunday social media post, Trump also appeared to throw his weight behind legislative efforts, ongoing in some form since his 2017-2021 term, to make it easier for banks to serve cannabis businesses that operate in accordance with state laws.
“As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies,” Trump wrote.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery, editing by Ross Colvin and Deepa Babington)
