The medical cannabis company Trulieve this month contributed $5 million to an effort to pass a constitutional amendment that would allow recreational marijuana in Florida, bringing its total contributions to more than $65 million, according to a newly filed finance report.
Trulieve has contributed $65.39 million to the Smart & Safe political committee since 2022, a state database shows.
In all, the committee had raised about $71.6 million and spent nearly $56.3 million as of Thursday.
The Smart & Safe committee is leading efforts to pass the proposed amendment, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3.
Three committees are opposing the effort, including the Florida Freedom Fund, which added $628,000 over the same period, according to Division of Elections. Included is $250,000 from Jacksonville petroleum distributor Aubrey Edge, president and CEO of First Coast Energy.
Florida Freedom Fund has raised over $2.5 million.
Another opposition group, Keep Florida Clean, received a $12 million boost from Florida hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin during the previous reporting period.
Meantime, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who opposes the measure, said he will consider more DUI patrols if voters pass the amendment.
“Marijuana smoke is the most offensive smell to me ever, and I think a lot of states that have already done that,” Waters said during a town hall meeting Thursday. “I don’t think you expect me to say anything differently because I’m a policeman, but a lot of the states that have already done that have buyers remorse.”
The amendment proposal, says, in part, that it would allow “adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”
Voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment that allowed medical marijuana.
Information from WJCT/Jacksonville Today and Health News Florida was used in this report.
