When nearly nine in 10 Florida voters agree on something, the folks in the minority have to question whether they’ve taken a reasonable position.
That’s the situation in which Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell and the Florida Sheriffs Association find themselves. Darnell was among 63 of 67 county sheriffs that signed on to the association’s resolution opposing the legalization of marijuana for any purpose.
The resolution doesn’t specifically mention a state constitutional amendment that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes, which voters will consider in the fall. But the resolution does say the association strongly opposes the legalization of pot use, sale or possession, while maintaining that marijuana has no accepted medical use.
A poll released Monday found that nearly nine in 10 Florida voters disagree. The Quinnipiac University poll found that 88 percent of voters support allowing adults to use marijuana for medical purposes, suggesting the amendment has a good chance to pass.
The opposition of the sheriff’s association and Darnell in particular carries some contradictions. The group supported a bill that would legalize a non-euphoric strain of marijuana known as Charlotte’s web for a limited list of medical purposes. Lawmakers passed the measure and Gov. Rick Scott has said he’ll sign it.
In Alachua County, Darnell has faced criticism for her deputies arresting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana. She told The Sun last year that she smoked marijuana in college and doesn’t bar employees who admit to using it in the past.
But she said that her department will enforce marijuana laws until they’re changed.
“If people believe that the law needs to be amended or taken off the books, then so be it,” she said.
Her opposition to the citizens-driven medical marijuana amendment sends a much different message. But to be fair, the amendment is hardly the best way of making public health policy. Medical professionals might be put in the difficult position of being asked to write marijuana prescriptions for people with dubious medical conditions.
The fact that the measure would be written into the state constitution makes it hard to change if problems arise. Yet state lawmakers have been unwilling to consider broad medical marijuana laws or decriminalizing recreational pot use.
The Quinnipiac poll found that 53 percent of voters support allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Decriminalizing marijuana possession would be a reasonable step to consider, removing the threat of a criminal record or jail time.
Marijuana use didn’t hurt the career prospects of Darnell and other sheriff’s department employees who used the drug. That isn’t the case with everyone, and a racial disparity in marijuana arrests means black users face severe consequences at a higher rate than white ones.
Rather than just simply opposing the amendment, Darnell should consider backing other drug law reforms that the public clearly supports.