Would recreational pot be good for Florida? Gil Smart Treasure Coast Newspapers USA TODAY NETWORK – FLA Tallahassee Democrat, 1/1/2020 And so here I find myself in the strange position of disagreeing with the head Parrot Head himself. On Dec. 21 Jimmy Buffett endorsed the “Make it Legal Florida” campaign, a petition drive to get a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot that — if passed — would legalize recreational marijuana in the Sunshine State. “Pot, weed, marijuana, cannabis — whatever you call it, it’s good medicine,” said Buffett in a video released by the campaign, which as of this writing has 190,000 verified signatures — but needs another 576,200 by Feb. 1, and then Florida Supreme Court approval for the measure to get on the ballot. Backers of a second recreational marijuana legalization effort, “Regulate Florida,” have said they won’t meet the deadline. But, state Sen. Jeff Brandes, Republican (!) of St. Petersburg, said he expects a bill backing legalization would be filed soon. “It’s time for the legislature to take this issue on,” said Brandes, who added he’d be “shocked if we don’t have adult use in Florida by 2024.” For those of us who have a little, uh, knowledge about this issue, it’s hard to imagine this day is arriving. And stranger still to realize to realize you’ve got misgivings about the whole thing after all. I’d long thought marijuana should be legal for recreational use. It’s not really all that different from alcohol in terms of why people use it. It’s actually safer than alcohol, less addictive, less damaging physically. It’s already widely used, and our jails and communities are full of people who’ve been charged with marijuanarelated crimes that often don’t warrant the punishment we’ve doled out. And then there’s the potential tax revenue. One Kentucky lawmaker is talking about legalization specifically to shore up state pensions. Indeed, this year Colorado surpassed $1 billion in tax revenues since recreational marijuana was legalized. Think Florida could use that kind of money? Sure. We can’t count on the Legislature to spend it wisely, but still. Imagine the needs that could be met, the holes filled. But then you come across stories like one from the Philadelphia Inquirer, talking about how treatment professionals are seeing more and more people — young people — with “cannabis use disorder.” Marijuana addiction has soared; Independence Blue Cross, the region’s largest health insurer, saw a 180% increase in marijuana treatment claims between 2012 and 2018; that included a 100% rise in claims for patients aged 19 to 25. From the story: “We’re certainly seeing a lot more emergency department visits due to marijuana,” said Kevin Osterhoudt, medical director of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s poison control center. “We’re seeing more people with paranoid delusions. We’re seeing a lot more people with signs of acute psychosis.” Here in Florida, we would already seem to have a surplus of people with paranoid delusions, with signs of acute psychosis. Think “Florida Man.” Do we really need more? Indeed, it would be one thing if legalization merely brought existing users out of the shadows. But — having given weed the government stamp of approval — use may well increase. That means more people sitting around stoned. Parenting stoned. Working stoned. Or not working, and stoned. Fun, I’m sure. But productive? Safe? Beneficial? Colorado has a problem with people driving high. Stoned drivers killed 87 people on state roads in 2016 and 2017; what’s worse, most Colorado drivers don’t think it’s a big deal to drive stoned. Transplant that to Florida’s highways and tell me it’s a good thing. Sure, sure, old man me, I’ve had my fun and now I’m trying to kill everybody else’s buzz. But the thing about marijuana being illegal was you had to hide it. You needed to be discreet — even cautious — to avoid consequences. No consequences? No discretion needed. Full speed ahead. I’ve little faith, however, that this train will be derailed. From the Baby Boomers on down, most people don’t see pot as a big deal. The likes of Brandes are looking at the revenue possibilities and thinking: If only. When I wrote about medical marijuana a few weeks ago, the response was telling. I cited curious figures in a new state report showing people in Martin County were using significantly more medical pot than folks in St. Lucie or Indian River counties, and the response was almost hostile: Don’t throw shade on my medication, readers said. Hands off the herb. That’s not a sentiment that’s going to be reversed. So good or bad, Brandes is probably correct; it’ll be shocking if we don’t have adult use by 2024. Let’s just hope we’re not shocked by what happens when we do. - - - Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion.