BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A Florida senator is now proposing a banon all forms of smoking, in all public places.
This could change the lives of many people as nearly 15% of Floridians smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meantime, smoke is already something we're talking about, with the potential for recreational marijuana use to become legal in Florida.
WPTV reporter Victor Jorges spoke to people in Boynton Beach about the potential green light on recreational marijuana use and pressing the brakes on smoking in public.
State
Lawmakers pitch public smoking ban seeking marijuana 'guardrails'
The reactions we got on this? Hazy and mixed.
For Kevin Gil Martin in Boynton Beach, legalizing marijuana is a good idea.
"They should just legalize it, and this way they'll make money off it and they'll control it better," he said.
Others, like Murray Solomon, say it shouldn't be legal. He did say he supports people using CBD, "or anything in that nature", for medicinal use.
"I don't believe we should pass recreational in all honesty," Solomon said. "We have enough vices at the present time and I don't think we need another one."
Republican Senator Joe Gruters from Sarasota is making moves on the state level, saying he supports recreational marijuana getting the stamp of approval, but already has plans for the next legislation session.
Last week, he announced he will pitch a bill banning smoking of all types in public places.
"As we anticipate the passage of Amendment 3, it's crucial to establish the necessary safeguards that protect everything we cherish about Florida," Gruters said in a press release. "This drafted legislation is a continuation of our efforts to implement common-sense policies that benefit all Floridians."
We asked the same people we asked about Amendment 3 about this potential ban on all smoke.
Solomon said he would like to see it happen.
"I don't believe you should infringe upon people's ability to eat in peace in a restaurant," Solomon said.
Meanwhile, Gil Martin says there's already some laws and rules in place that limit where people can smoke, so he doesn't see the point in a new law.
"They should be able to smoke. They shouldn't be able to smoke in there, which they're not, you know," he said while pointing at a Publix Supermarket. "We already have restrictions everywhere for that anyway."
Right now, smoking in indoor workplaces is banned in Florida, and the state allows cities and counties to set the rules on smoking at their own beaches and parks.
Amendment 3, which aims to legalize recreational marijuana, needs 60% of votes to pass.
Election day is Nov. 5 with the next legislation session starting March 4.
