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Gov. Ron DeSantis told a Florida Sheriffs' Association conference on Tuesday that the state's cannabis legalization initiative, known as Amendment 3, is more sweeping than what the ballot summary indicates and the courts should have kept it off the ballot.
"When you read the summary, it doesn't tell you really what the amendment says. That's why it should not have been allowed on the ballot. I mean, the court's job is to not allow things on the ballot if the summary is not an accurate reflection," said DeSantis told the Sheriffs organization, according to the News Service of Florida.
In April, the Florida Supreme Court approved the recreational marijuana constitutional amendment, for which voters will decide in the November 2024 elections.
As he did at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee when he railed against Amendment 3, DeSantis said that legal marijuana has been tried in Colorado, California and New York and the results don't justify making the change in Florida.
“I think we’ve struck a more moderate course on this. I think what Colorado has done has been very extreme, and a lot of people regret it. I think California’s been extreme, a lot of people there regret it,” DeSantis said. In fact, recent polling showed cannabis reform continues to enjoy strong support in Colorado.
DeSantis also suggested that the amendment would prevent private property owners from regulating marijuana use on their premises, which is false. The amendment allows the Florida Legislature to regulate public use of marijuana, similar to how it manages tobacco and alcohol.
Meanwhile, Florida Politics obtained a poll that will be distributed to donors on Wednesday. The poll found support for the ballot initiative still maintains strong majority support. The newly formed “Vote No On 3” campaign, which commissioned the survey, found 64% of likely voters support the initiative, a one percentage point drop since February but still more than enough for passage.
Ryan Tyson, president and CEO of The Tyson Group, which undertook the February poll, put a positive spin on the dip in support, noting that despite significant financial efforts to promote the amendment, opposition to legalization has increased.
"This is not where proponents of the amendment wanted to find themselves with just over three months until Election Day after spending nearly $5 million on television ads in multiple major markets across the state unanswered," Tyson stated, per Florida Politics.
Smart & Safe Florida, the committee leading the initiative reported it raised over $60 million, according to June campaign filings. Florida-based Trulieve Cannabis Corp (OTCQX:TCNNF) reportedly spent more than $40 million to get the measure on the November ballot.
The legalization initiative, which has the support of two-thirds of Florida voters, including a majority of Republicans, needs 60% of the vote to pass.
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Posted In: TCNNF
