When Adrian Wyllie is elected the next governor of Florida, he's going to legalize all marijuana and have it regulated like alcohol.
That's just one of a plethora of libertarian ideas from the Libertarian candidate, who is looking to take down establishment candidates Rick Scott and Charlie Crist.
Like any Libertarian, he believes government should mind its own damned business and stop meddling in people's lives. That includes same-sex marriage, taxes, Medicare, and, yep, weed. But no one knows this. Because he's not even getting an opportunity to debate it with Scott or Crist directly, which is significant.
Because while Wyllie's chances of actually winning this thing are slim to none, he might just tip the scales one way or the other for those other two guys.
"I want full legalization of marijuana," Wyllie tells New Times. "I don't think government has the right to tell adults what they should smoke or drink, and I think that if we want to reduce drug-related crimes, we need to legalize marijuana and regulate it like we do alcohol."
While it might seem Wyllie is gunning for votes from the coveted stoner demographic, it should be noted that at least half of voters polled say they'd be OK with legalized marijuana.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll, 53 percent of those surveyed said they'd support allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of pot for recreational use.
Wyllie, who has amassed a respectable following and raised more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from everyday folks, is purely about having the government butt out of your business and work for you. It's also why he backs same-sex marriage. In fact, Wyllie wants to abolish the practice of marriage licenses altogether.
"Why should people have to go get permission from the government to get married?" he asks rhetorically. "People not being able to get married without a court order makes no sense."
Wyllie is as enthusiastic as he is amiable in presenting his case. His voice booms when he talks about how Scott and Crist only offer Band-Aids to the state's problems, while he wants to get to the root of the problems.
Wyllie, who hails from Palm Harbor, has made small ripples in the large pond occupied by the large fish, though it's unlikely he'll be upsetting anyone come November 4.
Still, because the polls are razor-thin between Scott and Crist, Wyllie could still very well impact the outcome of this race. While he's polled as high as 13 percent in most major surveys, it's those 13 percenters who could determine which way the race trends.
"The campaign to be Florida's next governor tightens slightly and takes on a new dimension with [Wyllie] in the running," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in July. "Wyllie is not, at this point, a serious contender to win the governorship. But he may have a great deal to say about who does win."
The reason for this is simple: Neither Scott nor Crist is running away in the polls, because the majority of Floridians don't much care for either candidate.
And while the majority of Floridians have no idea who Wyllie is, their indifference toward Scott and Crist can be a factor -- particularly with turnout. Then there's the remainder of Wyllie's supporters, the unsilent minority who will vote for their man and take votes away from the other two.
Of course, Wyllie would love nothing more than to present his case in front of Floridians while challenging Scott and Crist. He filed a lawsuit to be included in Wednesday's gubernatorial debate.
But because he didn't meet the 15 percent polling criterion, a federal court shot down the suit on Tuesday.
"I'm the only honest guy in the race!" he says to New Times. "I'm not bound by corporations and special interests. I'm a business owner, not a millionaire. That makes me the most qualified to work for the best interest of the people. I'm about getting the corruption out of Tallahassee."
Turnout, and Wyllie's small yet deep impact, could decide things on November 4.
He's the ultimate wildcard -- the wildcard that wants to make it legal for you to toke up without the cops arresting you.
Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
Follow @NewTimesBroward
