The issue of drug addiction is personal for Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). 

He lost his brother in April due to years of abusing controlled substances and alcohol. Scott claimed that his brother’s addiction first started with using marijuana in his youth and gradually evolved over the years. It was his brother’s death that he had in mind when he announced last week that he would be voting against a ballot measure in November to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida. 

“People end up with addictive personalities, and so he did,” Scott said during an interview. “It messes up your life, and so that’s why I’ve never supported legalization of drugs.”

Florida legalized marijuana for medical use in 2016, joining 37 other states in the nation that had previously done so. Floridians will have the opportunity to vote on the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, known as Florida Amendment 3, in November. It would legalize the use of recreational marijuana in the state for people 21 years old and older, with each person legally permitted to have up to three ounces. 

Additionally, medical marijuana dispensaries in the state would be allowed to sell marijuana to adults for recreational use. If voters choose to support FA3, Florida would become the 25th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

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Scott and other Republicans in the state announced a formal opposition to FA3  in May. They claimed that approving the legislation would result in benefiting “powerful marijuana special interests, while putting children at risk and endangering Florida’s family-friendly business and tourism climates.”

Scott’s official opposition to the amendment comes after several recent studies revealed the negative health ramifications and other dangers associated with using marijuana. This includes a decrease in IQ points,  strokes and heart attacks in adults, and psychotic disorders in teens.