Republicans are about to ban cannabis in Florida

[u/Cerviliotd]

[u/Cerviliotd]

SB 1676 is scheduled for session on Monday in the Florida Senate Committee on Agriculture. THIS BILL CANNOT PASS. It will immediately ban all hemp products and limit THC to 2mg/package.

The same lobbyists are pushing identical legislation in Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Washington State, all of which are likely to vote the same as Florida.

Everyone should email the bill’s sponsor to let them know how much this bill will hurt us:

[burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov)

[u/calcaronfq → u/Cerviliotd]

I just sent her an email. Here is the rest of the Florida Senate Committee on Agriculture:

Committee Chair:

[collins.jay.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:collins.jay.web@flsenate.gov)

Committee Vice Chair:

[boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov)

Other Committee Members:

[baxley.dennis.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:baxley.dennis.web@flsenate.gov)

[berman.lori.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:berman.lori.web@flsenate.gov)

[grall.erin.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:grall.erin.web@flsenate.gov)

[mayfield.debbie.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:mayfield.debbie.web@flsenate.gov)

[rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov)

[simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov)

[thompson.geraldine.web@flsenate.gov](mailto:thompson.geraldine.web@flsenate.gov)

[u/Mydogmike → u/calcaronfq]

Just sent them all an email letting them know how ridiculous they are being on this and so many other issues that aren't even issues. Floridians voted by a 61% majority to have medicinal marijuana and our horrible state government has done everything they can to block what the citizens want.

[u/Bfischlike → u/Mydogmike]

Yeah I just spent two weeks there and I smelled it everywhere. Florida seems like it is a natural place behind WA/OR/CA/CO

[u/Jaydenel4 → u/Bfischlike]

DeFascist doesn't even like the smell of weed, he would ideally like it to be illegal again

[u/RUS_BOT_tokyo → u/Jaydenel4]

I don't like the smell of weed either, but I'm not banning it

[u/Jaydenel4 → u/RUS_BOT_tokyo]

Well then, you got my vote. We need a governor now, since ours decided to abandon post and campaign for president

[u/RUS_BOT_tokyo → u/Jaydenel4]

Don't you get it? The biggest problem is the florida legislature. It represents the rural constituency that's all over the place, and that constituency think it's fine to put up a billboard asking if you're going to heaven or hell.

[u/_ElementalPee_ → u/RUS_BOT_tokyo]

It's not fine to put up a billboard, for any purpose.

[u/Dess_Rosa_King → u/Cerviliotd]

Why is the Republican party so hell bent on being the party of "No"?

Cannabis should a non-issue. Which for the life of me I cant wrap my head around why Republicans are against it. For Christ sake this is low hanging fruit to win votes and improve public image.

But instead, they want to further tank their public image?

[u/Beccahedron → u/Dess_Rosa_King]

Gotta fill those prison quotas

[u/Maloth_Warblade → u/Beccahedron]

And they can be incredibly selective with arrests. It's not systemic at all in who they target, noooo....

[u/NoBrains-NoGains → u/[deleted]]

You mean that group that is viewed as a democrat voting monolith is being targeted by republican policy?! Shocker.

[u/forest9sprite → u/Beccahedron]

Bingo!

[u/Electrical_Ingenuity → u/Dess_Rosa_King]

It’s because they are literally fascists.

[u/gloryday23 → u/Dess_Rosa_King]

I am going to give you a real answer, unlike what most other people are giving you.

Overwhelmingly, Americans vote to vote AGAINST things. Biden's election was mostly people voting against Trump.

Republican's have weaponized this, and basically made it their entire platform, constantly giving people things to be against, and their voters WANT things to be against, even if those things would benefit them.

[u/howsyourdayoff → u/gloryday23]

People voted for Biden because republicans are trash.

[u/BeautyThornton → u/Cerviliotd]

Um…. Sorry but Washington state isn’t banning THC lmao where the fuck do you think that’s gonna get anywhere in this state

[u/megjake → u/BeautyThornton]

Washington state: known for hating weed /s

[u/apsgreek → u/megjake]

We’re the evergreen state for a reason

[u/TheRage469 → u/apsgreek]

Clearly they must think we're the nevergreen state

[u/PhilxBefore → u/TheRage469]

#forevergreen

[u/OliveTheory → u/apsgreek]

The $500 million in tax revenue doesn't hurt, either.

[u/BeautyThornton → u/megjake]

Literally even the eastern side likes weed

[u/BigMtnFudgecake_ → u/BeautyThornton]

Idaho actually loves weed too even though the shitty state laws don’t reflect that

[u/BleedTealandSilver → u/BigMtnFudgecake_]

Those hypocrites just drive to Spokane or Ontario to get their weed.

[u/dexmonic → u/BleedTealandSilver]

Yeah I meet a lot of Republicans in north idaho that say they want weed to be legal, abortion to be legal, universal healthcare etc.

But every single election they vote against their own interests so they can stick with their political team. Drives me crazy. But I guess I'd rather my tax dollars go to Washington than Idaho because fuck all the politicians that run this state.

[u/Thencewasit → u/megjake]

“Dude getting high and looking at the largest leaves I have ever seen is transcendental.”

Washington state motto.

[u/chris88alfonso → u/megjake]

We hate it so much that we burn it every time we can!

[u/minominino → u/BeautyThornton]

Can’t imagine Maryland doing it either.

[u/zweischeisse → u/minominino]

We literally just passed a recreational legalization bill last year. No chance.

[u/ankylosaurus_tail → u/[deleted]]

I don't think there's any data. They just said it. I agree there's zero chance of anything like this passing in WA.

[u/mihirmusprime → u/[deleted]]

Maybe OP lives in Florida and trying to cope by thinking others will have to deal with the same thing lol.

[u/gtalley10 → u/zweischeisse]

Democrat governor, too. He'd veto even if it passed wouldn't he? Wiki on him seems to be pro-legalization.

[u/medusa_crowley → u/BeautyThornton]

Yeah I clicked on this because I suspected it was clickbaity and this confirms it. It was legal in Washington before damn near any other state. Chill, y’all.

[u/FlutterKree → u/medusa_crowley]

Both Colorado and Washington passed recreational use the same year. They were literally the first states to do so.

[u/WASD_click → u/FlutterKree]

Colorado and Washington got so many things in common

• Dope Mountains

• Legal Weed

• World's Best Baseball Teams (Don't Fact Check Us)

[u/reiflame → u/BeautyThornton]

Right? We are very addicted......to the tax revenue.

[u/eMF_DOOM → u/reiflame]

I grew up in Oregon and when marijuana first became legal I saw an entire lil’ hick town completely renovated and updated because of city tax revenue from legal marijuana. I’m talking brand new high school, completely repaved streets, updated downtown area, etc.

I have no clue why other states don’t want a piece of that.

[u/Ninotchk → u/eMF_DOOM]

Because it makes people's lives better. Republicans want anything that makes you sad.

[u/keepcalmdude → u/Ninotchk]

No no no, that’s not it! They hate anything that makes you feel happy

[u/calxcalyx → u/keepcalmdude]

Some groups of people think they are in the "winning" and "in" group if they punish and are cruel to the "losing" team. So the opposing groups are painted as weak "losers" and the dumbs latch onto it. Because they are uneducated. The systematic defunding of education has turned us into this nonsense.

[u/pagerussell → u/reiflame]

As we should be. Sin taxes are the perfect way to have a truly free state while encouraging people to not do things that are bad for them. Sprinkle in education and programs for those whose addictions have reached a bad place, and you actually have a pretty good policy that balances freedom and good outcomes at a macro level.

[u/hawkweasel → u/BeautyThornton]

"and Washington State, all of which are likely to vote the same as Florida."

In the history of wrong on reddit, there has never been anything wronger.

Trust me, The State of Washington would NEVER be likely to vote anything the same way as Florida.

[u/Dfiggsmeister → u/Cerviliotd]

Washington state won’t go for it. They’ve been enjoying that weed tax money too much to pass this law. Neither will Maryland or Virginia. Louisiana and Arkansas have a good chance though.

[u/HelenAngel → u/Cerviliotd]

WA state will not vote the same way. We are a solid blue state with a thriving cannabis industry. These idiot Republicans can fuck up their own states with government overreach but it won’t fly here.

[u/apresmoiputas → u/HelenAngel]

Why would we ban it? It brought over 1.5 billion dollars in excise tax revenue in the last three years.

Also Republicans majority counties in WA state voted for cannabis in 2012. In fact yes-on-cannabis won more votes in those counties than the votes for Romney.

Edit:

1. in WA state, the governor banned private prisons starting in 2025.

2. If you're curious about how much WA state has made in tax revenue in cannabis, check here.). This state tries to be as data driven and data transparent as possible.

Edit #2: in case you're wondering how much money didn't go into the illegal drug market between June 2019-May 2022, $4.265 billion was spent by the residents of WA state. That netted the state $1.54 billion in tax revenue. This is all public info from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board's site publishing the annual reports.

[u/DabsSparkPeace → u/apresmoiputas]

There is only one reason any state would ban it, but it's a good reason for Republicans, it remains the easiest way to throw black people in jail and remove their right to vote.

[u/apresmoiputas → u/DabsSparkPeace]

This is unfortunately true. The southern states will always want to make lives hard for black people and try their best to harden the chances of climbing the socioeconomic and political ladders. I'm black and originally from the South. I left at 18 in the late 90s when the cost of living in the Pacific NW was cheaper than it is today and right before the minimum wages in western states was starting to become higher than the Southern states.

The hidden truth is that the old Tobacco growing states have the best land and soil conditions for cannabis. It's just they will make it nearly impossible for black land owners to produce cannabis because that would mean more economically sound and stable black families and communities.

[u/fillyphil → u/HelenAngel]

Yeah that was my first thought, way too popular here. That being said, I hope this shows to end up being as unpopular in Florida and other states as the public polls prove. Yall gotta make noise to your representatives.

[u/Born_Faithlessness_3 → u/fillyphil]

Florida may be a bit of an outlier, on account of its large number of older voters.

Dems don't want a weed ban, and a good portion of young Republicans don't want it either. Millenials/Gen Z aren't interested in locking people up for victimless "crimes".

[u/Outside-Flamingo-240 → u/Born_Faithlessness_3]

This will backfire. The number of old Republicans here who swear by their gummies to help them sleep without pain is nearly infinite.

[u/Clameleon → u/Outside-Flamingo-240]

This will backfire. The number of old Republicans here who swear by their gummies to help them sleep without pain is nearly infinite.

lol those same poor as shit Republicans that can't get to sleep without pain also won't let people raise taxes on the wealthiest people in this country

[u/iisdmitch → u/HelenAngel]

I don’t even live in WA and I know this shit won’t happen. Why the hell would WA care what a state on the opposite side of the country does with a cannabis vote? The 3 Pacific coast states enjoy the tax revenue way too much.

[u/VinceDaPazza → u/HelenAngel]

Neither will Maryland, legalizing it for Rec use just passed overwhelmingly

[u/penisbuttervajelly → u/Cerviliotd]

Lmao this has absolutely no chance of passing in Washington

[u/Look__a_distraction → u/penisbuttervajelly]

Absolutely not Lmaoo. I just did a 50mg edibles last night. 2mg is so pathetically small it’s laughable to try and sell like that.

[u/eazygiezy → u/Look__a_distraction]

I could literally only see us increasing the dosage

[u/Kingfisher83 → u/Cerviliotd]

Maryland isn't going to vote for this.

[u/Sweatier_Scrotums → u/Kingfisher83]

Yeah, I think we should hold off on declaring Florida the new America. It's the new Republican Party, but it's not the new America.

[u/quiltsohard → u/Sweatier_Scrotums]

Agree. It will just be other red states with governors that aspire to lead the country that will try this. I live in Texas and have no doubt my state will look at Florida and be like “challenge accepted “. And come up with something worse.

[u/Oso_Furioso → u/quiltsohard]

It'll probably just be the death penalty for having a couple edibles on your person.

[u/flyinchipmunk5 → u/quiltsohard]

Texas has weed already illegal idk how it could get worse lmao

[u/quiltsohard → u/flyinchipmunk5]

Right now we’re in what I like to call our “bounty Hunter phase”. You can “hunt” (technically sue) persons in “drag” and women who were pregnant but now are not. I could easily see pot getting added into the list of things there’s a bounty for.

https://www.advocate.com/politics/texas-drag-bounty-bill

[u/stilusmobilus → u/quiltsohard]

The fact you have ‘bounty hunters’ sums it all up.

[u/olivegardengambler → u/Sweatier_Scrotums]

Also this would likely really screw things up in Florida considering how besides Oklahoma, it's like the second easiest state to get medical marijuana. Banning THC would essentially cost any state billions in tax revenue or would basically result in dispensaries coming up with ways around it like selling 2 mg gummy bears individually, but keeping them in giant bins so you can buy 100 of them.

[u/alextxdro → u/Sweatier_Scrotums]

funny that some ppl think Florida is the be all and will pave the way for the rest of the country it’s hilarious it’s a hell hole that everyone 24-55 hates and makes fun of the young like the coasts as a party area the old like it as a warm place to die while looking at hot young ppl running around half naked the middle of the state is just nothing with racist ppl getting priced out of their homes while actively voting for those pricing them out. it’s the what not to do example of a state

[u/idratherpetacat → u/Kingfisher83]

Yea Md is too blue to go for this, ironically the party of limited government no longer actually wants limited government. Outside of firearms, blue states are more free then red at this point.

[u/bancroft79 → u/Kingfisher83]

Washington State isn’t either. Cannabis is a multi-million dollar industry in our state.

[u/reidminer → u/bancroft79]

Yeah I laughed when I saw WA on that list. I’m just south in OR, and from what I’ve gathered in my few years of living here so far…is literally 90% of the populations of Or and WA partake in cannabis to some degree lol

[u/bancroft79 → u/reidminer]

Yup. I split my time between the Seattle area which is very blue and Chelan county in Central WA which is quite red. In both places you find high end cannabis shops everywhere. There isn’t a chance in hell people are gonna vote on new regulations.

[u/Broccolini10 → u/Kingfisher83]

Absolutely, and neither are WA or VA.

OP: yes, this is absolute bullshit from FL, but let's stay grounded and realistic about what's happening--it's key to finding an actual way to fight this kind of nonsense.

[u/Assist-Local → u/Cerviliotd]

Just to clarify, this bill applies to hemp oil not cannabis oil in edibles for the medical program. It’s specifically targeting the delta 8 and alternative cannabinoid market not weed from dispensaries.

[u/b0nger → u/Cerviliotd]

If you think WA state is likely to vote to limit cannabis I have a bridge to sell you. Especially since WA is majority Dem in its statehouse and governor.

[u/DudeWithaGTR → u/b0nger]

If a Republican tries to bring it up for debate they're gonna get fuckin laughed outta the chamber. I wanna see that.

[u/Magical_Olive → u/DudeWithaGTR]

Smoked out of chamber tbh. We have a weed shop on every corner here

[u/Col_Irving_Lambert → u/Cerviliotd]

Virginia here. Yeah, our shit stain of a Governor is definitely going to do this. And to think just last year the state was in the final stages of pure legalized goodness.

Then the state elected some Republicans. And here we are today.

[u/johnqevil → u/Cerviliotd]

Washington is not likely to vote this in, regardless of what Florida does.

[u/Wise_Ad_4816 → u/johnqevil]

Washington resident here. We clean up far too much in taxes to pass these limits. It'll never happen.

[u/Poolofcheddar → u/Wise_Ad_4816]

Gorbachev tried this when he became Soviet leader in 1985 - but with alcohol instead of weed being the issue there. They wanted to curtail the populace's consumption of alcohol and limited the hours in which it could be sold and its potency.

The state's tax revenues decreased noticeably. It also moved a fair amount of demand over to the black market where (ironically in the Soviet system) certain players profited off of the government's actions.

Turns out if you want pliant worker bees for the means of production, they are going to want a buzz. If you force them to be sober, they might revolt. The plan was quietly discontinued two years later.

Besides, I don't get this obsession with weed. It didn't change how much I bought, or how I use it...it only changed HOW I bought it. Conservatives can get fucked, all I want to do at the end of a long week is take an edible and watch SpongeBob.

[u/CathodeRaySamurai → u/Poolofcheddar]

"I don't get this obsession with weed"

It's racism my man. In old conservative circles, it's still the black and mexican drug. I'm not even joking. Just racism all the way down, except there's no bottom.

[u/alextxdro → u/CathodeRaySamurai]

Until their neighborhood hedge fund or entrepreneur opens a dispo or grow op then it’s sound investment and needs to be ran by ppl with business experience not no mom and pop shop with care but with profit in mind.

[u/Lychanthropejumprope → u/Wise_Ad_4816]

WA resident here, as well. It definitely wouldn’t happen.

[u/ContemplatingPrison → u/johnqevil]

Only fascist states like Florida will do this. Most states ran by competent people won't kill a large revenue stream. That so much tax money just gone

[u/maineumphreak420 → u/ContemplatingPrison]

Maine checking in here, our last governor put so many moratoriums in front of the recreational legalization that it took 5 years for us to get our first Recreational shop. Also because of that it set our state cannabis industry back by 10 years and we lost 100’s of millions of dollars !! If you couldn’t guess he was republican and also prided himself on how much money he liked to bank the state.

[u/Exmawsh]

Republicans about to lose the libertarian base lmao

[u/WhoAccountNewDis → u/Exmawsh]

"Yeah, but the Democrats... Which is why l vote Republican."

This is why Republicans lean so hard on the CRT, Drag show, and SoCiaLiSm bullshit.

[u/theunamused1 → u/Exmawsh]

I would love to agree with you, but as someone with libertarian leanings, they should have lost all of them a long time ago. The libertarian popular culture is not actually libertarian, and they've shown their true colors already. They won't lose those people despite their outward political projections.

People I know who are habitual THC users and espouse small government talking points are in love with DeSantis despite the massive irony.

[u/NomadNuka → u/theunamused1]

irony

Funny way to spell "hypocrisy"

[u/SNYDER_BIXBY_OCP → u/theunamused1]

Or and hear me out here. There are a lot of people who claim libertarian as a cover for being right-wingers who have a contrarian bent.

I've never met a libertarian who has any clear vision of what libertarianism actually means to themselves

They can just identify what they don't like about the two official parties with a larger list for liberals than conservatives

[u/WhileNotLurking → u/[deleted]]

The best quote Ive ever heard on them is:

Libertarians are like an indoor only cat. They think they are fierce and independent. But they don't realize the greater ecosystem that brings them wet food daily, or keep them healthy, etc.

[u/HawlSera → u/theunamused1]

Most Libertarians are fascists who like pot too much to admit it.

[u/Senior-Albatross → u/HawlSera]

Most of them are just incredibly self- obsessed. Which is why they love a philosophy that denigrates everything but the individual.

As it is said, "Libertarian are like house cats: absolutely convinced of their own fierce independence while utterly dependent on a system they neither appreciate nor understand."

[u/Makomako_mako → u/Senior-Albatross]

House cats have a more cohesive set of internal values though

[u/natophonic2 → u/theunamused1]

Yup. My parents were involved with the LP in the 1970’s and 80’s, back when they were the only ones advocating for gay marriage and ending the war on [some] drugs.

Libertarians these days think liberty consists of 2A rights and low/no taxes… and that’s it.

[u/Crazyhairmonster → u/Exmawsh]

If only. Libertarians are republicans and they'll also happily vote against their interests.

[u/NicolasCageLovesMe → u/Crazyhairmonster]

All the ones I know don't even vote

[u/PhazonFire22]

You could tell me Florida Republicans were trying to pass ANY law that would fuck over the average citizen and I would believe you. It's literally something new almost every day.

[u/locjaw420 → u/PhazonFire22]

It's 20 degrees here in MI with a windchill of 3, there's been 8 inches of snow in the past 24hrs and I'm still thankful that I don't live in a shit hole red state like florida.

[u/timmy6169 → u/locjaw420]

No kidding. You know what I did today? Drove my grown ass to the dispensery to talk to the nicest people around, picked up my order and was out the door in under 5 minutes. Doesn't matter that it is snowing and 20⁰, I'll take the ability to do all of that over anything Florida has to offer.

[u/SharpieScentedSoap → u/timmy6169]

What's cost of living like where you are? I desperately need to move 😅

[u/olivegardengambler → u/SharpieScentedSoap]

Michigander here!

So the cost of living really depends on where you live in Michigan and where you are moving from. The most expensive thing in Michigan is usually auto insurance, so if you're used to paying like $50 a month for car insurance, expect that to go up to about $150. This is more due to the fact that auto insurance in Michigan has to cover medical expenses from accidents. Groceries tend to be a bit cheaper here than elsewhere however, and housing is also pretty reasonable. You can buy houses that only need some light cosmetic work for only $200,000-$300,000 here in more rural areas (but rural here really means you're just a 15-30 minute drive from town depending on where you are). Weed is also legal recreationally, liquor stores are easy to find, HOAs exist but are nowhere near ubiquitous, people here are pretty tolerant compared to elsewhere, and you have all four seasons and reasonable property taxes. There's a 6% tax on everything except unprepared food though (some places have found loopholes around this), hunting is pretty straightforward here if you're into that, and there's a surprising amount of stuff to do around here. The only real downsides are that if you do move here, and you bank with like Wells Fargo, US Bank, or Truist, you're going to have to change banks. As far as I know they have no locations in Michigan for banking (Wells Fargo does have mortgage offices and financial advisors here however), and if you really care about chain restaurants we don't have as many, but there's plenty of local restaurants.

[u/Im_with_stooopid → u/olivegardengambler]

Wells Fargo has a single bank in Michigan that I know of. It’s in Houghton, Michigan in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Houghton is also the birthplace of professional hockey.

[u/SwagTwoButton → u/locjaw420]

Lol imagine being in Wisconsin. Same climate. But republicans have a near veto proof majority despite dems winning the popular vote.

[u/DervishSkater → u/SwagTwoButton]

Vote and get everyone you know to vote in the liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz to the Supreme Court.

[u/locjaw420 → u/SwagTwoButton]

Not sure how it works in WI but in MI we are able to put ballot proposals to a direct vote if we get enough signatures. In 2018 we voted to have independent redistricting, legalize cannabis and no excuse mail in voting. The redistricting and mail in voting proposals played a big part in MI scoring a trifecta win for the Dems this past election.

[u/Junior_Fig_2274 → u/locjaw420]

No such mechanism exists under the Wisconsin state constitution. I could gather all the signatures I want, nothing will get put on a ballot that actually means anything. There can be proposals to change state law put on the ballot- by our state representatives. And from there I’d refer you to our notoriously gerrymandered permanent Republican majority. So… yeah...

[u/Im_Chad_AMA → u/Junior_Fig_2274]

You should vote in the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election - if Janet Protasiewicz wins the seat, the state SC could potentially rule to undo the currently ultra-gerrymandered maps. It would be a massive step towards breaking the Republican hold on the state.

[u/Quelcris_Falconer13 → u/PhazonFire22]

It’s like they hate the people who gave them power and want them to suffer and for some reason Floridians keep electing them.

[u/racerz → u/Quelcris_Falconer13]

It's like the people who gave them power wanted them to oppress people but never once considered they'd be included in the oppressed group. They're getting exactly what they asked for. The intentions of these politicians were plainly laid out and they enthusiastically checked that box. Fuck em. Let that state rot. I'm certainly not losing sleep.

[u/Destt2 → u/racerz]

It's like the people that are poor and/or uneducated don't realize that the government oppresses the minorities they don't like by ensuring they'll be poor and uneducated. It almost seems like education is important then... Nah.

[u/bee_fast → u/PhazonFire22]

They’re missing out on that tax money tho

[u/JBrad0322 → u/bee_fast]

Especially now that DeSantis fucked the state with his personal grudge against Disney.

[u/calmdownmyguy]

"Tread on me"

-Conservatives

[u/BinaryIRL → u/calmdownmyguy]

Plenty of conservatives like their cannabis, just not the ultra Christian magas. I've always seen this as something both sides could come together on. In my state, both blue and red voted to legalize. Then the state changed their mind and decided to not pass it.

[u/Atgardian → u/BinaryIRL]

That happened in FL too. It won a ballot initiative with over 60% of the vote. Republicans in power were like "we don't care what the voters want" and just delayed it, buried it in red tape (you know, "small government"), and now this. Same with the ex-felons who served their time being able to vote.

People vote for this stuff in big numbers, Republicans say "haha no" and people keep voting for Republicans.

[u/SeasonedPekPek → u/Atgardian]

Republican's have also been spending the last 12+ years actively removing the ability to vote from people who don't vote from them. All those voter purges, voter Id laws, limiting voting booths, removing people's registrations, etc, have affected millions of people if not tens of millions. It's generally only covered much in the news just prior to the elections when there's a hundred other shitstorms going on and then they fall by the way since these actions are technically legal. I imagine if someone was actually able to go back and calculate the number of affected people over the past 12+ years and how that could have impacted voting results, you would see some crazy shit.

[u/nervousautopsy → u/BinaryIRL]

“For the people”

[u/GingasaurusWrex → u/nervousautopsy]

“Party of small government.”

*Small Democratic government

[u/Fuzzy_Calligrapher71 → u/BinaryIRL]

Legalized weed is 2 to 3 times as popular as Congress

[u/reddog323 → u/BinaryIRL]

Missouri here. Our governor and legislature is trying to pass laws like Florida's as fast as they can, but I think they'll walk away from this one.

Cannabis was fully legalized here last month. There's a rigorous process for applying for a growth or sales license, and friends and cronies of the governor are getting kickbacks on those, so those won't stop. Also, sales are projected to bring in a lot of revenue for the state, so we've at least got that going for us, which is good.

[u/Bennyjig → u/calmdownmyguy]

No but they’re small government don’t you know??

[u/quadroplegic → u/calmdownmyguy]

“Tread on me daddy”

[u/Project0range]

My 1 edible candy last night had 75mg by itself but ok, sure Florida lol

[u/olivegardengambler → u/Project0range]

Ngl I couldn't imagine taking that much. 50 mg already makes me feel like I'm drunk in a submarine.

[u/verticalMeta → u/olivegardengambler]

Bro 5 mg has be knocked down 😭 any more than that and it isn’t fun anymore, how tf do you do 50

[u/Mihandsadolfin → u/verticalMeta]

I took 300mg once.. I swear I was floating for 48 hours straight. Do not recommend

[u/NuclearWaste666]

Welcome to Taliban rule!! Remember people. You are in control of your vacation money. Do you really want to give it to the Taliban?? The governor there who wears his wife's high heel boots has some strange Taliban rules.

[u/CodenameZoya → u/NuclearWaste666]

Well said, and women quit sending your young girls to college in Florida and to Texas. Those states don’t deserve your money and they are in literal danger down there.

[u/Complete-Lettuce-941 → u/CodenameZoya]

My niece went to Florida for college. Most of us were against it but it wasn’t our choice. In 3 years she gone from volunteering for democratic candidates and worshipping AOC to telling me a I can’t do things because I’m a woman and telling racist jokes at work with both her superiors and the people she supervises. Obviously, there was already hate in her heart but I still say “FUCK FLORIDA” a lot.

[u/BaitingandBerating → u/Complete-Lettuce-941]

She’ll come back. The SEC has this fucked up trend where students go there and become convinced that being racist and ultraconservative are cool. This is driven by the wealthy in-state students who are multigenerational alumni and control the schools’ social atmospheres. A lot of this moreso comes from their parents and the other donors who threaten to withdraw funding for the school and its clubs if they go against “the good ways of the past.”

[u/Smokey_tha_bear9000 → u/BaitingandBerating]

This seems mostly true but as alumni I feel like UF bucks this trend a little at least. The Greek life certainly trended this way with KA leading the charge but Alachua County is notoriously liberal.

[u/Suspicious_Hat_7180 → u/CodenameZoya]

The SEC was a shit conference once and can be again. Just saying.

[u/Wise_Ad_4816 → u/NuclearWaste666]

Nope. Fuck those states. They don't get any of my $$. I commented last night that we purposely filled our tank in Washington so we didn't have to spend a dime in the backwoods cesspool that is Idaho. Someone commented that I was judgemental and shortsighted. Really? I'm the judgemental one? Have you seen the laws these shit stains are ramming through in their states? My money doesn't get spent propping up these fascist assholes.

[u/Plant_Geek_Girl → u/Wise_Ad_4816]

As someone who lives in Washington just on the border of Idaho, I thank you for your support. I go to a pot shop on the border, and the number of people from Idaho who buy from Washington is astonishing. I mean, the taxes are nice to collect, but come on. I guess it's just easier to take advantage of other state's rights than creating your own.

[u/djhotlava → u/Wise_Ad_4816]

Agreed.

“You make a statement every time you spend a dollar, what do you want to say?”

People talk about voting, but the biggest power we have in a capitalist society is how we spend our money. Don’t give your money to corporations/states/entities that don’t support your values.

[u/Mad-_-Doctor → u/NuclearWaste666]

People really ought to start making attack ads for Florida. Tourism is the biggest industry in the state, so they can be forced to stop their nonsense.

[u/Past_Standard5222 → u/NuclearWaste666]

I’ve been screaming this for a while. I know so many leftists, liberals and democrats (I know I know - centrists) and so many lgbtq folks that STILL vacation in that fucking shit hole state. Spend your goddamn vacation money literally anywhere else!

[u/Jaedos]

The pharmaceutical industry, especially the opiate/pain focused companies, HATE marijuana. So does the prison industry. So of course Republican politicians will fight it.

Edit: legal marijuana, I should say. Prison industry loves illegal marijuana because pot heads are low risk, high $ return prisoners.

[u/Ethelenedreams → u/Jaedos]

Republicans love their profit prisons. That’s why McConnell seated all those corrupt right wing judges.

[u/boringdude00 → u/Jaedos]

You can't exactly be shocked this would happen in the state that invented the prescription pill mill.

[u/Tobar_the_Gypsy → u/Jaedos]

Pharmaceutical industry HATES this 1 trick to not get addicted to opiates

[u/Bleezy79]

Serious question, why does it seem like EVERY SINGLE TIME its REPUBLICANS are the ones trying to TAKE AWAY our RIGHTS? Why is that??

[u/tikifire1 → u/Bleezy79]

Because they are?

[u/Traditional_Yard5280 → u/Bleezy79]

Yeah, talking about liberals taking away rights, and then they turn around actually take people's rights

[u/quillmartin88 → u/Traditional_Yard5280]

Because with Republicans, every accusation is a confession. If they accuse a liberal of something, they're clearly planning on doing that or worse.

[u/keelhaulrose → u/quillmartin88]

Republicans: We're banning abortion, a good chunk of women's healthcare, books, drag shows, gender affirming care even when prescribed by a team of physicians, saying the word gay, and black people voting. We're also going to send your kids to work in the mines while simultaneously voting against giving them lunch at their school which we're defunding because we want only charter schools so poor kids have more time to work in the mines. And we think it's okay if the cops shoot you as long as you're a POC or not currently breaking into the US Capitol wearing a Trump flag.

Also Republicans: Democrats are just as bad because they want universal background checks and maybe an assault weapons ban (we'll ignore that a significant number of our own voting block are in favor of sensible gun legislation.)

[u/Sugarbombs → u/Traditional_Yard5280]

And then they'll complain that they can't legally smoke weed anymore and blame dems for it. Stupidity

[u/YawaruSan]

Oh hey, fascism is coming to claw back the incremental gains we’ve made, and Florida is the “national plan” after all. So maybe, just maybe, hang with me here: politics matters on more than just the federal level, and these Republicans are coming for their own state’s rights first, then they’re coming for the rest of Americans.

To all of the “but both sides” assholes: the Democrats aren’t coming for my fucking weed, are they!?

[u/FunnyAnimalPerson → u/YawaruSan]

No, they're just coming to give you more rights, more money, and more Healthcare

[u/flagrant-fowl3 → u/FunnyAnimalPerson]

And more weed

[u/Euphoric_Ad9593]

Slam the car in reverse. 1950s here we come!

[u/chernobyl169 → u/Euphoric_Ad9593]

American politics are like a car. If you want to go forward, you use [D]. If you want to go backward, you use [R].

[u/Ukasso → u/chernobyl169]

Holy shit I’m stealing that

[u/chernobyl169 → u/Ukasso]

Spread it like butter friend, ain't nobody putting a copyright on facts

[u/Project0range → u/chernobyl169]

OK I never heard this one but it's so accurate lol

[u/Boomtown626]

Party of Small Government (c)

[u/2fareshacker → u/Boomtown626]

"Tread on me"

-Conservatives

[u/Bluccability_status → u/2fareshacker]

I have a “no step on snek” patch. No I want a “please step on snek” patch

[u/Adorabloodthirstea → u/Bluccability_status]

There was a lovely pic of the snake with a ball gag that said please tread on me and I thi k about that more and more with these shit lords

[u/Southernerd]

They're also passing laws to shut down lawsuits. One is particularly evil. If a nursing home kills your loved one, the only persons who may bring a claim for wrongful death are children under 25. How many elderly people have children under 25? Basically, nursing homes will have no repercussions for mistreatment and neglect, causing the death of elderly persons in their care.

[u/sexy-man-doll → u/Southernerd]

Can minors even file lawsuits legally?

[u/Southernerd → u/sexy-man-doll]

Yes. But they need someone with representative capacity.

[u/linksgreyhair → u/Southernerd]

What’s their “logic” about requiring it to be only people being under 25? (I realize the actual goal is to make it nearly impossible to sue the nursing homes, but they must be claiming some sort of supposedly beneficial reasoning?)

[u/Southernerd → u/linksgreyhair]

They can't ban it due to 7th amendment and Florida Constitutional requirement of open courts, so they instead adopt impossible to meet standards to defacto ban nursing home wrongful death cases.

[u/linksgreyhair → u/Southernerd]

Definitely, but what’s their messaging on this? The spin to try to make it sound like a good thing? I assume they’re not actually telling the public “we’re trying to create a de facto ban on nursing home wrongful death cases.”

[u/5050Clown]

Drunk driving deaths per capita are highest in the anti-weed states. Florida is currently around number 15 with the southern states leading. This is going to bump their numbers up.

[u/RedBeans-n-Ricely → u/5050Clown]

They can’t get hard on drunk driving, that could hurt Matt Gaetz!

[u/redditorx13579]

This will just drain red states of money.

Idaho is already in the dumpster because of this.

[u/Excellent-Shock2434 → u/redditorx13579]

This will just drain red states of money.

They don't care, nearly every single red state runs on money stolen from blue states anyways.

In a just world they'd be left to rot.

[u/BellacosePlayer → u/Excellent-Shock2434]

And most of those red states rely on their blue/purple cities to pay for their red areas too

[u/MoonlitXV]

The unfortunate part is that about 75% of Floridians support legalizing recreational cannabis. We’re just way too crazy to figure out how to vote in our own interests. On paper, most Floridians don’t support the majority of republican party positions. But, Floridians think republicans are protecting them from wokeness.

There are no Floridians that know what that word means.

We are literally a state populated by the corrupt and the clinically insane, and we WILL make it everyone else’s problem.

I’m sorry.

[u/BastrdOfMuppets → u/MoonlitXV]

DeSantis' lawyers know exactly what it means, and actually defined it, correctly, in the courts.
"The belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them."
I find it sad more people aren't pointing that out, and how ridiculous it is that they even know what it is, and are actively campaigning against that.

[u/raistlin65 → u/BastrdOfMuppets]

"The belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them."

Love it when Republicans say they are anti-woke.

It's their way of saying, "I'm not a bigot or racist. I just don't like when people are against bigotry and racism."

[u/DudeWithaGTR → u/raistlin65]

Awhile ago I kept pressing this guy (I waa playing dumb) about what woke is. He finally gave me the definition and I'm like "bro, you really think inequality and systemic racism is cool?". I never heard back lol. They don't wanna answer cause it makes them look real bad.

[u/SquatCorgiLegs]

Florida: “Why bother with weed when bath salts are legal?”

[u/minkey-on-the-loose → u/SquatCorgiLegs]

Also Florida: “Legalized weed reduces meth usage.”

[u/hhwallbanger]

Meanwhile in Oregon, almost a year ago: “Beginning April 1, 2022, edibles sold through Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) licensed stores can now contain packages up to 100mg THC and 10mg THC per serving. The previous limit was 50mg THC per package and 5mg per serving.”

[u/zblaze90]

They’re really missing out on some good stuff… if republicans smoked weed i think they would finally chill the fuck out… they need it ffs. Or shrooms. Geez

[u/dcbud44 → u/zblaze90]

They love Coke too much

[u/CurseofLono88 → u/zblaze90]

Tons of republicans smoke weed- it’s broadly popular across all political demographics. But conservatives love to use to illegal marijuana as a way to oppress minorities and the poor and republican politicians get kickbacks from the private prison industry so that’s why they oppose legalization/decriminalization

[u/AFresh1984 → u/CurseofLono88]

Tons if Republicans also smoke the forbidden pants sausage. They still belong to the anti-lgbtq fascist party.

Lots of different types of (malignant) mental illness going around...

Edit: fix

[u/biohacker_infinity]

Won’t this be deeply unpopular even with their own base? This is like when Trump hobbled his vaping crackdown because internal polling indicated that vaping was too popular among his constituents.

[u/ocalabull → u/biohacker_infinity]

Not enough to get them to vote for a party that isn’t trying to limit their freedom

[u/Eldritch-Cleaver]

These guys are such assholes.

I got my prescription a summer ago and its helped me so much...and now they want to take it away/minimize how much I can have?

So much for not treading on me 🙄

[u/Mysterious-Wasabi103]

Well the damn cannabis is turning people into liberals! Noooo

[u/Early-Consequence-61 → u/Mysterious-Wasabi103]

No. It’s another means to drive liberals out of Florida. Abortion ban, gut education, take kids away from queer parents, and lastly, take the weed. It’s just the cherry on top. They’re just going to make Florida solid red. No one with a brain will want to live here, and they’ll get the state they want.

[u/quantipede → u/Mysterious-Wasabi103]

A terrifying fact to think about is that some of the same people who unironically believe that veggie burgers are turning people into communists are also millionaires with enough influence & power to shape the policy of state and local legislature

[u/Calm_Ad_3987]

A quick scan of the bill and it looks to only affect hemp-derived (d8, etc) products. Other states could follow but it doesn’t affect any rec or mmj d9 products.

[u/sharkspicious]

Republicans hate things like freedom, healthcare, and fun. It totally makes sense that they'd go after marijuana.

[u/KenzoAtreides → u/sharkspicious]

It's all with a goal and that goal is money. Prison owners don't get money up if they can't lock people up for weed.

[u/Ecstatic_Wheelbarrow → u/KenzoAtreides]

And guess what areas are policed and enforced more heavily

[u/Oso_Furioso → u/sharkspicious]

I've long thought that to be Republican is to lie awake, night after night, fearing that somebody, somewhere, might be having a good time.

[u/rascible → u/Oso_Furioso]

Reminds me that baptists don't screw standing up, as somebody might think they're dancing

[u/Billsolson]

They’re just trying to keep that sweet , sweet civil asset forfeiture money coming in.