Collier County commissioners oppose Amendment 3

Collier County commissioners have made their stance clear on Amendment 3 less than 24 hours after former President Donald Trump told the world he would vote for it.

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Collier County commissioners don’t always see eye to eye, but if there’s one thing they do agree on, it’s their stance against Florida’s Amendment 3, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the state.

Tuesday, Collier County commissioners passed a recommendation to adopt a resolution opposing Amendment 3.

“We’re going to create a whole other addictive society out there that never would have tried it before, and then who knows what direction [it] will go from there,” said Dan Kowal, Collier County commissioner for District 4.

Burt Saunders, Collier County County Commissioner, District 3, said, “This legalization of recreational marijuana has not worked well anywhere in the country where it’s been adopted. It will not work.”

While their decision to adopt a resolution opposing Amendment 3 won’t directly affect whether the amendment passes in November, they still felt the need to voice their opposition at Tuesday’s county commissioner’s meeting.

“We would have a whole new group of people getting in control of a deadly machine, like a vehicle, and operating on — possibly under the influence of some sort of controlled substance,” said Kowal.

Nick Garulay is the CEO and founder of My Florida Green. He’s also opposed to Amendment 3 but for very different reasons.

“I don’t disagree with recreational marijuana. I don’t think marijuana should have ever been illegal,” Garulay said. “No one’s ever died from a marijuana overdose, but the way that this amendment is written, it’s almost criminal, and again, it’s giving one dispensary the monopoly. They’ve spent $70 to $80 million to pass this, so there’s an agenda, and it’s about money.”