Green For Blue? Should Florida Legalize Marijuana For Water Protection?

Water is the life and blood of Florida. Our team knows this better than anyone else, as we represent the state’s outdoor recreation industry. You’re hearing it from us first:

Legalizing recreational marijuana will create an ideal tax base for the purpose of funding water quality improvement projects. We’ve coined the movement Green For Blue.

#GreenForBlue

Tourism currently pumps $89,000,000,000 (billion) into the Florida economy per year. Legalizing recreational marijuana will be a boon to tourism. 126 million tourists came to our shores in 2018 – adding recreational cannabis to the draw will increase the number of visitors even more! Not only will this increase existing tourist-based tax revenue, but present an opportunity to fund water quality improvement projects across the state. The new tax revenue distribution could offset impacts from an increase in visitors to Florida.

Rainy days and hurricanes can impact tourism – but those are temporary. What has a greater and longer lasting impact are red tides, algae outbreaks, beach closures, springs quality, and overall water health.

This opportunity has the chance to revolutionize our tourism industry AND create a deep, much needed, funding source for water quality improvements across the state. No one will call us foolish for valuing our water resources too much – but that’s what they’ll call us if we don’t!

No one will call us foolish for valuing our water resources too much – but that’s what they’ll call us if we don’t!

The Play Hard Florida team is so committed to finding ways to preserve and protect our waters that we sell T-shirts to support nonprofits that work to protect them. We’ve also designed a logo for the Green For Blue movement – check out our online store to show your support for clean water AND environmental nonprofits!

This blog is the second of a three-part series. The first detailed why the official nickname of Florida should be changed to the “Water State™“. Our third article details how to distribute the new tax revenue for water protection. For its success, the majority of the revenue will need to be directed to water quality as that is the driving force for our economy, tourism, property values, and quality of life. Keep reading below for lots of legalization articles and data to help make the case…