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 and older.
The statement, made on social media platform Truth Social late Sunday, follows a separate comment in late August in which he indicated he was open to legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in the state.
Trump’s support for the ballot initiative, known as Amendment 3, comes even as some other Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have spoken out against the measure.
The former president will face Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Polls suggest the race is essentially tied.
“As I have said before, I believe it is time to end the unnecessary arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” Trump wrote.
“As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 in November.”
In his social media post on Sunday, Trump also appeared to throw his weight behind legislative efforts, which have been underway in some form since his 2017-2021 term, to make it easier for banks to service cannabis businesses that operate in compliance with state law.
“As president, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical use of marijuana as a Schedule 3 drug and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for government-authorized businesses,” Trump wrote.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery, Editing by Ross Colvin and Deepa Babington)