WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida says he will vote against a ballot amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in his state in November, a deeply personal decision based on his brother’s long history of addiction.
The senator and former governor of Florida said he watched his brother Roger Scott start smoking marijuana as a teenager and then struggle with substance abuse for the rest of his life.
“People end up with addictive personalities, and so did he,” Scott said in an interview. “It ruins your life, and that’s why I never supported the legalization of drugs.”
When Roger Scott died in April at age 67, the cause was not drug abuse, but rather a “life of drugs and alcohol” that caught up with him, the senator said. He had been living in an apartment in Dallas, Texas, where he served a prison sentence in 1990 for a felony charge of possessing dangerous drugs, court records show.
Rick Scott became wealthy as a lawyer and healthcare executive before entering politics. Now running for re-election, he lamented that his brother had a “tough life” and says it all started with marijuana.
Scott’s no vote on marijuana aligns with other state and national Republicans who question whether marijuana leads to the use of other riskier substances.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse noted on a 2019 webpage that most cannabis users do not continue using “harder substances,” but a statement from the agency also says that use of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, can cause brain changes that can cause a cerebral infarction. person is more likely to become addicted to other drugs.
Amie Goodin, who researches marijuana safety at the University of Florida, says research has found that those who use riskier drugs were often more likely to use marijuana, but that research has not determined whether marijuana is “actually the cause” for someone to look for more powerful substances.
Florida’s voter initiative would legalize recreational marijuana use if the amendment receives 60% or more yes votes in November. That would also require the Florida Legislature to establish regulations and a framework for production and sales. Florida is one of 38 states that have legalized medical marijuana, and would join the 24 other states that have legalized recreational use.
Scott is opposing this change along with the Republican Party of Florida, which formally announced its opposition in early May. They argue that the amendment would “benefit strong special interests in marijuana while endangering children and jeopardizing Florida’s family-friendly business and tourism climate.”
The amendment’s sponsor, Smart & Safe Florida said on its website that approval would allow Floridians to implement “accountability, transparency and regulation.” This, among other benefits, could ensure that legal cannabis is not laced with unknown and potentially dangerous chemicals, the report said.
Voters approved medical marijuana when Scott was governor, but Scott and the Legislature imposed strict restrictions on its use, including a ban on smokable marijuana. Cannabis advocates then sued and a court agreed to allow smokable medical marijuana just before Scott left office. His successor, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, chose not to appeal.
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Brendan Farrington contributed to this report from Tallahassee, Florida.