For Immediate Release: October 23, 2024
Florida Seniors Groups Rally for Amendment 3 in The Villages
Event underscores support across age groups behind legalizing recreational adult use marijuana
(The Villages, FL) – Today, Florida seniors groups including the American Association of Senior Citizens and Florida Alliance for Retired Americans (FLARA) showed out in The Villages to rally in support of Amendment 3. These groups, whose leadership spoke during today’s rally, are advocating on behalf of legalizing adult use marijuana this November as a means to safe products for natural pain relief without the risks that come with opioids or other strong medications.
Additionally, these advocacy groups know that in order to create a better future for their kids and grandkids, the economic and public safety benefits of passing Amendment 3 are too beneficial to ignore.
Video of today’s event is available to be viewed HERE.
“Amendment 3 isn’t about promoting drug use – it’s about making sure that if people use marijuana, they’re using a product that’s safe and free from harmful chemicals, and ensuring that these dangerous products don’t somehow end up with our kids and grandkids,” said Felicia Bruce, FLARA President. “Put simply, this is a common-sense approach that benefits everyone. Seniors are behind it. The criminal justice community is behind it. Police chiefs are behind it. It just makes sense.”
“I am over 80 years old and I do not smoke or vape marijuana myself, yet I find myself here to strongly support Amendment 3,” said Barbara DeVane, FLARA Legislative Director and Seniors Advisor to Smart & Safe Florida. “Let’s get weed off the streets! Let’s keep it away from teens and ensure that anyone who chooses to consume marijuana is not subject to arrest or exposed to deadly chemicals. Let’s enact smart, common-sense policy and pass Amendment 3.”
“We have a majority of Democrats, majority of Republicans and majority of Independents supporting passage,” said Jim Martin, Chairman and President of the American Association of Senior Citizens. “Senior citizens will benefit as, by using marijuana, you reduce pain, you reduce dependence on opioids, and more significantly, you reduce dependence on prescription medications. The American Association of Senior Citizens strongly endorses the passage of Amendment 3.”
“As an emergency medicine physician, my concern is public health and child safety,” added Dr. Richard Temple, Lake County-based emergency medicine physician and medical director. “I see many more patients related to alcohol, to opiates, to benzodiazepines like Xanax. Those are the medicines where I have to call parents and tell them that their child is dead from overdose. I have never had to do that for marijuana.”
American Association of Senior Citizens and FLARA join a large and growing coalition behind Amendment 3 – a group that includes the Florida Senate and House Democrats, former President Donald Trump, Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters, Democratic State Sen. Shev Jones, Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith, Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young, the Libertarian Party of Florida, ACLU of Florida, SEIU Florida, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, and the Editorial Boards for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Post, among many others. All agree that the legalization of recreational adult use marijuana is the best path forward for Florida as means to a safer, freer and more equitable state.
“Wednesday’s event shows just how energized this campaign is – across all age groups – to build a better, safer future for all of Florida,” said Morgan Hill, Smart & Safe Florida spokesperson. “Passing Amendment 3 is a widely supported, common-sense measure to raise the standard of life for individuals across the state – and we are honored to have the support of our senior citizen community.”
For more information about Smart & Safe Florida and the campaign to legalize adult use recreational marijuana in Florida, please visit www.smartandsafeflorida.com.
