in a surprising turn of events former president Donald Trump announced that he will vote in favor of a Florida ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana making his most definitive statement on the issue to date this decision places Trump at odds with many members of his own party including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he pushes for changes to the state's marijuana laws Trump made the announcement via his truth social platform late Sunday night stating as I have previously stated I believe it is time to end less arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use we must also Implement smart regulations while providing access for adults to Safe tested products Trump's endorsement of amendment 3 which will be on Florida's ballot this November marks a notable shift in the National conversation surrounding cannabis if passed the measure would allow Floridians over the age of 21 to possess purchase and consume marijuana recreationally Florida already allows for the use of medical marijuana but this amendment could open the doors to a broader legal framework for recreational use a break from the Republican status quo Trump's stance contrast with the broader Republican establishment many of whom remain staunchly opposed to the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes Governor DeSantis has spoken out against amendment 3 and prominent Republican Senators including John Kennedy of Louisiana and Kevin Kramer of North Dakota have Express their reluctance to support similar measures I support medicinal marijuana under a doctor's orders but I'm not even close to being ready to legalize another substance that changes your view of the world said S Kennedy sen Kramer added we have to have a national discussion about it but I'm personally not ready to vote for it for recreational use in North Dakota nor nationally Trump's support for recreational marijuana puts him in a unique position within his party while Republicans have generally resisted Nationwide efforts to legalize marijuana Trump's backing of state level reform aligns with his long-standing belief that decisions on marijuana legalization should be left to individual states a shift in Trump's cannabis messaging Trump's latest announcement represents a more Progressive position than he has previously taken on marijuana during his 2016 presidential campaign Trump stated that he was in favor of marijuana for medicinal use and called for further research on its health benefits however he also consistently emphasized that legalization should be a state issue avoiding a clear stance on full recreational legalization by throwing his support behind Florida's ballot measure Trump is giving one of his clearest endorsements yet on the issue the former president also highlighted the need for Public Safety particularly in relation to concerns over fentol laced marijuana a growing problem in some areas arrests for marijuana possession of personal amounts waste taxpayers dollars he wrote suggesting that Amendment Three could help mitigate the issue of laced drugs implications for the 2024 race Trump's decision to publicly back marijuana legalization in Florida is likely to have Ripple effects as he eyes the political landscape ahead of 2024 his stance could appeal to younger voters and independents who favor marijuana reform even as it distances him from some of his Republican colleagues this move also signals Trump's intention to position himself as a candidate willing to break from traditional GOP stances on certain issues aligning with more libertarian leaning views at the same time it raises questions about how other Republican leaders will navigate the growing divide within their party on marijuana legalization