There's no doubt that the liberalization of marijuana laws is spreading across the county, with Alaska and Oregon attempting to join Washington and Colorado as the only states to legalize the recreational consumption of pot next month.Meanwhile, Florida is attempting to join the other 23 states in the U.S. that have legalized medical marijuana, though recent polls show it may not be successful.
As the New York Times wrote in their groundbreaking editorial advocating for the outright legalization of marijuana back in July, "There is honest debate among scientists about the health effects of marijuana, but we believe that the evidence is overwhelming that addiction and dependence are relatively minor problems, especially compared with alcohol and tobacco."
But Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn disagrees, and says he'll be voting no on Amendment Two.
I think it’s a slippery slope," the mayor told CL on Tuesday afternoon. The husband of physician Dr. Catherine Lynch Buckhorn, an associate vice president for women's health and professor and director of general obstetrics and gynecology at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Buckhorn says he knows "there are alternatives for people who are in that type of pain."
The Buckhorns are the parents of two young girls, and the mayor says that affects his attitude on the issue as well.
"It's hard for me to explain why I would legitimize what is a drug," he says.
He also says as the leader of a large organization like the city of Tampa, he says he wonders how he could hold employees accountable "if they're coming to work stoned or drunk (Amendment Two, it should be noted, has nothing to do with alcohol). I need to have the ability to discipline people and prevent that from happening, so for me I don’t think it’s the right solution."
The mayor, running for re-election next March, said he understands and is sympathetic to those in pain and aware that smoking cannabis provides "temporary relief," but says that he knows that "there are real medicines that can provide the same type of relief; medicines prescribed by legitimate physicians, not the equivalent of pill mill docs ... so I just don’t think that is the appropriate response to a medical condition."
In the gubernatorial race, Republican Rick Scott opposes Amendment Two, while Democrat Charlie Crist supports it.
Buckhorn has not endorsed anyone in the governor's race, which makes sense if you believe that it would be much harder for him to challenge a sitting Democrat in 2018 (which would be the case if Crist wins) than running in an open seat (if Scott is re-elected). When asked who he would be voting for, the Mayor repeated, "I'm not going to tell you!"