As the mayor of Miami-Dade Countyjb casino, I had held off on sharing my opinion about Amendment 3 — the November ballot item to legalize marijuana for adults only — because I believed that voters are wise enough to read the ballot language and decide for themselves. I felt it was appropriate to let them decide without their mayor weighing in.

Until now!

I recently saw an ad on TV that was clearly in opposition to Amendment 3 and frankly, upon seeing it, I immediately realized something was wrong. When I later learned that taxpayer dollars were being used to mislead voters, I felt it was not only time to speak out, but also important to do so, as facts matter when our residents are making decisions.

Taxpayer dollars, funds that were supposed to pay for roads and related projects, are being diverted to promote misleading propaganda and that is just plain wrong.

First, let’s make clear that the decision before voters is not about insurance rates. It is flat-out untrue that states which legalized marijuana saw increased insurance rates. They do not. In fact, several peer-reviewed independent studies show exactly the opposite. The most notable comes from the well-respected Journal of Health Economics which shows a 22% decrease (yes, a decrease) in car insurance rates in states that made the switch to allow marijuana to be legal.

It’s also important to share why I am joining bipartisan leaders like former Republican Party Chairman Senator Joe Gruters in supporting Amendment 3.

I agree with something Gov. DeSantis recently stated: “Nobody should go to jail for smoking a joint.” Of course they shouldn’t! We spend too many of our tax dollars arresting and prosecuting adults for simple possession of marijuana, and that is wrong. Not only do these arrests (and of course convictions) ruin people’s lives, they cost taxpayers millions, and they keep our law enforcers off the streets, in court, and doing paperwork, when they should be on the street protecting us from serious and violent crimes.

Passing Amendment 3 will save us precious dollars and keep law enforcement focused on keeping us safer, and it will also generate at least $400 million a year in new revenues. These recurring funds can be used to improve our schools, invest in stronger and robust mental health services and, yes, improve our roads as well.

I also commend Sen. Gruters for introducing legislation for the 2025 legislative session to ban public smoking, as we need to be mindful that with the passage of Amendment 3, the state will need to implement additional laws to create the proper guardrails. By passing a ban on public smoking, we can keep our streets, beaches and public spaces smoke-free. We must also work with school officials, university presidents and law enforcement to implement public education campaigns to ensure our youth know the laws. The passage of Amendment 3 is for adult-use only.

Amendment 3 has truly brought political forces together as both presidential candidates have said the measure should pass. I trust voters will make an informed decision about a key policy. I felt it was vital to speak out because of the efforts to mislead the public.

I ask that each of you ignore extremist propaganda and the misuse of tax dollars to misinform voters, and join sheriffs, leaders from both political parties and most importantly, the hundreds of thousands of voters who signed a petition to place this on the ballot, and support the passage of Amendment 3.

Daniella Levine Cava is mayor of Miami-Dade County.

Try 1 month for $1

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Part of the McClatchy Media Networkjb casino

• jb casino
• Leaders
• Mayor
• Miami-Dade
• Bipartisan