With a combined $105.08 million in support and opposition funds, the Florida constitutional amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis is the most expensive legalization campaign in the U.S. since 2010.
Florida Cannabis Legalization Amendment Proposal Most Expensive Campaign Since 2010
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The Florida constitutional amendment ballot measure to legalize cannabis is the most expensive campaign to enact the reforms in the U.S. since 2010, according to a Ballotpedia analysis. Supporters and opponents of Amendment 3 have raised a combined $105.08 million, surpassing funds raised in California during the 2016 election cycle when Proposition 64 was on the ballot.
So far, supporters of Amendment 3 have raised $90,441,407 to support the ballot initiative, while opponents have raised $14,640,649, according to Ballotpedia.
Trulieve, the Florida-based multi-state cannabis company, has donated $82.89 million to Smart & Safe Florida PAC – which has led the legalization effort in the state. Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel LLC and a resident of Florida, has contributed $12 million to the opposition effort, along with $20 million to candidates that oppose the reforms; however, since those funds were not donated directly to the opposition campaign, they are not included in Ballotpedia’s calculation.
According to Ballotpedia data, cannabis legalization campaigns since 2014 have nearly always outraised the opposition, save for the 2016 bids in Arizona and Nevada, which were about even. In those campaigns, Arizona voters voted against the reforms, while Nevada voters approved them.
Polls from mid-August found Florida voters split on supporting legalization in the state. A Florida Atlantic University found a 56% majority of registered voters said they plan to vote yes on the initiative, with 29% of voters saying they would vote no on the measure, with 15% undecided. A separate poll from 7News and Suffolk University found that 63% of voters responded “yes” to the question “Should recreational marijuana be legalized?” The survey asked 500 likely Florida general election voters in both English and Spanish with a 4.4% margin of error, according to the pollsters.
Because the initiative calls for a constitutional amendment the measure requires at least 60% support to pass.
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