Disclaimer: Only medical marijuana is legal in Florida as of April 2024. The amendment discussed in this article considers recreational marijuana for adults who are 21 and older.
On April 1, the Florida Supreme Court ruled to put the Right to Choice and Recreational Marijuana amendments on the ballot. In celebration of this groundbreaking decision, Florida Future Leaders, a political action committee (PAC) that represents the Florida College Democrats, will be distributing free condoms and rolling papers on college campuses from the day of the ruling until Election Day in November.
This distribution aims to raise awareness of these two issues being on the ballot this election. Jayden D’Onofrio, the Chairman of Florida Future Leaders, mentioned to Her Campus at FSU that these are “issues that are, of course, critical to the youth.” Since they are critical to the youth perspective, the campaigning targeted toward college students is as you would expect: attention-grabbing and relevant.
For the pro-choice amendment, Florida Future Leaders will be giving out free condoms, Plan B, stickers, and literature pertaining to abortion access. On these condoms, the message “Don’t get F*CKED by the GOP. Protect Abortion in Florida” is branded.
Regarding recreational marijuana, the PAC will target youth voters with its “Roll Up to the Polls” campaign. Alongside the free rolling papers being distributed, Florida Future Leaders will also be giving out literature and stickers bringing awareness to this amendment.
These distributions for FSU will be on Landis Green, where Florida Future Leaders will have tables set up, typically from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., two days a week. Staff hired by the PAC will be handing out these condoms and rolling paper. The tables will also grant students the opportunity to register to vote on the spot by using paper forms, literature with QR codes attached, or online websites like Register to Vote.
When I asked D’Onofrio about the past lack of youth voter turnout, he said, “A lot of youth generally don’t want to vote because they’re scared to exercise their right to vote.” As a college student, the idea of voting can seem scary, especially if you’re a first-time voter in this election. However, it’s important to remember that, especially in the case of abortion, “Republicans are actively stripping the rights of youth voters, and youth voters have the availability to cast immense influence in this election.”
The campaign is projecting that about 2,000 condoms and rolling papers each will be distributed at FSU alone and even more across the entire state of Florida. D’Onofrio said that Florida Future Leaders “are using unique strategies of engaging the youth by using the youth.” He has been consistent in his advocacy for maximizing the youth vote and “breaking the Republican Supermajority in the state [of Florida].”
Abortion and recreational marijuana are topics that are frequently advocated for on college campuses by college students. “While Republicans continue to show their lack of support for both issues, Florida’s youngest Democrats are organizing their peers on a scale never seen before” in order to remind us that our votes make a difference, D’Onofrio said.
According to D’Onofrio, we “have the power to change the entire electoral landscape in Florida.” If you haven’t registered to vote already, keep a lookout for Florida Future Leaders on campus over the next few months. They’re here to help!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!