Marijuana giant Trulieve pumps another $5M into pro-pot campaign

Bills to cap pot potency were stamped out. Image via AP.

Medical marijuana giant Trulieve has pumped in another round of funding to a committee pushing Amendment 3, which would allow recreational marijuana in the state

The company donated another $5 million to help pass the measure. This brings Trulieve’s total level of financial support for the initiative to nearly $60 million.

Smart & Safe Florida, the committee sponsoring the proposal, listed the donation in its latest campaign report that covers contributions and spending from July 13 to July 29.

The political committee has now raised $66.4 million since it started. The latest campaign report shows that Smart & Safe Florida has $12.5 million that it hasn’t spent yet.

The latest campaign finance report also shows the contribution came the same week that the group dropped another $5 million on likely ad buys.

The report shows a $5 million payment to Kansas City-based Ax Media. Ax Media is a media buying firm linked to Axiom Strategies and Jeff Roe, a well-known Republican consultant who last year helped run a super PAC that supported Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unsuccessful run for President.

Smart & Safe Florida had previously already spent more than $5 million on television ads and has spent more than $1 million on radio ads as well.

Recreational marijuana needs a “yes” vote from 60% of voters in November in order to pass. If approved, adults 21 and older would be allowed to possess and purchase marijuana for recreational use.

A group with ties to Florida Republicans including DeSantis recently launched an effort to oppose the amendment.

Vote No on 3 did its own poll that found that 64% of likely General Election voters planned to vote “yes.” But that same poll indicated that opposition to the amendment is ticking upward and that support for the initiative is “stagnant” despite the recent ads.

The most vocal opponent to the measure has been DeSantis. He has repeatedly criticized the proposal and has said it will “reduce the quality of life” in Florida and will result in many places across the state smelling like pot.

The Republican Party of Florida has also come out in opposition to the initiative.

Meanwhile, Smart & Safe Florida sent a news release highlighting scores of studies promoting the amendment’s potential upsides.

It touted a Healthy Kids Colorado report that youth marijuana use in Colorado has declined 7% since 2013, when the state legalized cannabis. Additionally, a CDC study of King County, Wash., found adolescent cannabis didn’t increase following legalization there. 

The American Medical Association in April reported that there is “no evidence” marijuana legalization for adults increases youth cannabis use, which also is highlighted in the press release. The AMA found that recreational adult use reduces the likelihood of teen marijuana use. 

The pro-pot studies don’t stop there. Included in the press release was also Georgetown University research concluding that legalizing marijuana for adult use “results in a substantial decrease in rates of intimate partner violence.” The analysis further found that the legalization of recreational marijuana results in 56.6 fewer reported incidents of IPV per 100,000 people.

Smoking pot doesn’t hurt graduation rates either, according to Smart & Safe Florida which also included in the release Economic Inquiry study found that college enrollment rates increased in states that legalized recreational marijuana without hurting graduation rates.