Resolution 2024-169 RESOLUTION NO. 2024 - 1 6 9
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
COLLIER COUNTY,FLORIDA,OPPOSING THE LEGALIZATION OF THE
USE, POSSESSION, CULTIVATION, DELIVERY AND SALE OF
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Florida ("Board"), has been
made aware of Amendment 3, a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that is scheduled to appear
on the November 5, 2024 ballot; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 3, titled as "Adult Personal Use of Marijuana", would amend the Florida
Constitution to legalize recreational marijuana, by allowing adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or
use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption, and allowing state
licensed entities to acquire,cultivate,process,manufacture, sell, and distribute such products and accessories;
and
WHEREAS, since 2012, several states have legalized the cultivation, commercial sale, and
recreational use of marijuana; and
WHEREAS,the legalization and commercialization of marijuana have spurred the growth of a profit-
driven marijuana industry that has pursued its profits ahead of public health; and
WHEREAS, between 2012 and 2022, the number of past-year marijuana users nearly doubled from
31.5 million to 61.9 million; and
WHEREAS, between 2020 and 2022,the number of Americans with cannabis use disorder increased
from 14.2 million to 19.0 million, based on the DSM-V criteria; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, more than 30%of past-year marijuana users had a cannabis use disorder; and
WHEREAS, in 2022,there were more past-year daily or almost daily users of marijuana than alcohol,
with 15.1 million and 11.7 million, respectively; and
WHEREAS, following legalization in California and Colorado, emergency room visits and
admissions related to marijuana abuse is up 89% in California and marijuana-related hospitalizations in
Colorado increased 148%; and
WHEREAS, the Board believes that the effort to legalize recreational marijuana is contrary to the
interests of the public health, safety,and welfare,and desires to preserve the rights of citizens to live and work
in a community where drug use is not normalized and citizens are not subjected to the adverse effects of drug
misuse; and
WHEREAS,the average potency of marijuana increased from 3.75%THC in 1995 to 15.80%in 2018.
The use of high-potency marijuana is associated with the development of anxiety, depression, psychosis, and
schizophrenia, in addition to cannabis use disorder; and
WHEREAS, our roadways must remain safe for our citizens to use, and the legalization of marijuana
runs contrary to the goal of keeping our roadways safe for our citizens. In 2020, 24.3% of drivers involved in
traffic fatalities tested positive for marijuana, up from 14.8% in 2013; and
WHEREAS, advocates of marijuana legalization routinely overestimate the revenue that will be
collected and fail to account for the limited marijuana tax revenue collected is offset by even greater costs to
taxpayers, ranging from additional healthcare costs to more students dropping out of high school; and
WHEREAS, in Colorado, every $1 in tax revenue from the sale of marijuana was associated with
$4.50 in costs, ranging from increases in healthcare utilization to lost productivity; and
WHEREAS, all states that have legalized marijuana have failed to curtail the illicit market and drug
cartels continue to exploit these black-market sales because they do not want to operate within a regulatory
system; and
WHEREAS, states that have legalized marijuana have had a profound impact on rates of youth use,
coinciding with decreases in risk perception, and increases in illicit behavior; and
WHEREAS, a 2022 analysis of a longitudinal cohort study of 21,863 individuals found that youth in
states with legal recreational marijuana were more likely to use marijuana than youth in non-legal states; and
WHEREAS, a recent study found that recreational marijuana legalization was associated with a 25%
increase in adolescent marijuana use disorder; and
WHEREAS,marijuana legalization advocates have argued that legalization will reduce overall crime,
but in "legal" states marijuana crime rates have risen at a faster rate than other states across the country.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of County Commissioners of Collier
County, Florida, is strongly opposed to the legalization and commercialization of recreational marijuana and.
the proposed Amendment 3. f
ADOPTED upon majority vote this IO1L,day ofSQ.0.03.t(' , 2024.
` '.- '.� '�, ��ATTS ,� BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Crystaf ; 4letof Courts COLLIER C TY, FLORIDA
B .kt,r ..�.. B
Y m Y
S;, 4l F I;? uty Clerk hris Hall, Chairman
Approv and legality:
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Jeffrey la kow, County Attorney