Florida State Senator Joe Gruters has become one of the Republican Party’s most vocal supporters of cannabis reform, backing both medical marijuana expansion and full legalization.
(Photo credit: Thomas Bender/Herald-Tribune).
Now, with former President Donald Trump endorsing Gruters to lead the Republican National Committee, his stance on the issue is drawing renewed attention. Here’s a look at where he stands and some of the public comments he’s made.
2020 – Support for Medical Marijuana Expansion:
Senator Joe Gruters backed expanding medical marijuana access. He introduced legislation to protect state employees from being fired for using legal medical marijuana and urged the Republican Party to modernize its position on cannabis. These actions reflected his belief that patients following state law shouldn’t face penalties.
July 31, 2024:
Gruters, a Sarasota Republican and former state GOP Chair, endorsed Amendment 3, the 2024 ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. Explaining his decision, Gruters said it was “based on a lot of conversations that I had with constituents and people that are in the process… an evolving decision to which I said, ‘Let’s come out and support it. Let’s try to help this win and let’s get ahead of this to make sure we do it right.’” He called legalization “a common-sense decision that prioritizes individual freedom, health, safety and economic growth.” While acknowledging that his party opposed the measure, he said, “The party should take positions that they believe, although I personally disagree on this particular subject.”
August 1, 2024:
In an op-ed titled “I’m a very conservative Republican. Here’s why I support legalizing marijuana in Florida,” Gruters explained that Florida’s tough marijuana laws were inconsistent with its “Free State” image. He wrote, “You can still receive up to a year in jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana,” and argued legalization would allow for regulation and safer products. He agreed with Governor Ron DeSantis that marijuana shouldn’t be smoked in public, stating, “We can implement clear regulations and enforcement measures to prevent public marijuana use in the same way that we limit alcohol and tobacco, thereby protecting the health and comfort of all Floridians.” He highlighted projected tax revenue of nearly $500 million annually and said legalization would support public services, law enforcement, and new job creation. He urged voters to support Amendment 3 to promote “individual freedom, health, safety and economic growth.”
August 15, 2024:
Gruters announced that he would introduce legislation to ban smoking marijuana in all public places if Amendment 3 passed. On a press call, he said, “People don’t want to go outside and smell it. They don’t want to see it in public places.” He proposed mirroring Arizona’s law and added, “Let’s follow the Arizona law and ban public smoking in all public places.” He said the Legislature would have an opportunity to create proper guardrails if Amendment 3 passed and emphasized the need for state-level regulation to address concerns swiftly. His proposed bill received bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats.
October 2024:
As the November vote approached, Gruters campaigned in support of Amendment 3. He appeared in a TV ad called “Blowing Smoke,” countering misinformation and promoting legalization. In the ad, he said, “I led the fight to ban smoking on Florida’s public beaches, so trust me, these attacks about Amendment 3 are just blowing smoke.” He emphasized that public smoking should be illegal and that Florida could regulate legalization effectively. He also stated that the amendment gave the Legislature the authority to implement necessary restrictions. In interviews, he pushed back against scare tactics, saying, “People are blowing smoke, and they are exaggerating… They are not being truthful at the end of the day.” He encouraged voters to support the amendment, saying it would allow adults to access safe, regulated marijuana while still protecting public spaces.
January 27, 2025:
After Amendment 3 failed to pass with the required 60% supermajority, Gruters filed a bill to allow qualified medical marijuana patients to grow up to two cannabis plants at home. The bill initially included provisions to regulate hemp-derived products like delta-8 THC, but Gruters quickly withdrew that version after backlash. He said he would reintroduce it as “strictly a home grow measure” and acknowledged that combining the issues had reduced its chances of success.
February 7, 2025:
Gruters refiled a refined bill focused solely on allowing medical marijuana patients to grow up to two cannabis plants per household. He said, “If people have a right to smoke medical marijuana, they should have the right to grow it in their own home.” He argued that the bill was a logical extension of existing patient rights and would be tightly regulated to protect minors and prevent public exposure. He also filed a separate bill to expand qualifying conditions for medical marijuana.
February 25, 2025:
In a podcast interview, Gruters admitted his home-grow bill faced an uphill battle in the Legislature, saying, “There’s not a lot of interest in my Republican colleagues to move anything related to marijuana whatsoever.” He explained that the 2024 campaign “opened my eyes” to the importance of home cultivation and said he felt personally committed to advancing that issue. “I never knew homegrow was a big deal out there, and that was brought up to me over and over again… I said, ‘You know what? No matter what happens in this fight, I’m going to take some of these issues and I’m going to move it forward.’” Comparing cannabis home-growing to homebrewing beer or wine, he said, “Florida is a freedom state. I believe in freedom. If you really want to do that stuff, and you want to take the time, then by all means go and do it, as long as you do it in a regulated way to where nobody else is getting hurt and you’re taking responsibility.”
Summary:
Senator Joe Gruters has emerged as one of the most outspoken Republican voices in Florida supporting cannabis reform. From backing medical marijuana patients’ rights and home grow, to publicly campaigning for recreational legalization, Gruters has consistently emphasized individual freedom, regulation, and public safety. Even when facing opposition from fellow Republicans, he has argued that the responsible path forward is legalization with strong, sensible guardrails.
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