The pro-legalization campaign in Florida has received a $1 million cash infusion from New Approach, a committee that has bankrolled other pro-cannabis campaigns in Washington, Massachusetts, and Oregon, Orlando Weekly reports.
Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United for Care, said the donation – the largest single endowment made to the campaign thus far – is a “big acknowledgment” to their existing donor base and could be “a huge boon” to their fundraising efforts.
“We are obviously very pleased to receive such a generous donation,” he said in the report. “It’s going to be put to good use very quickly, making sure that our message is on television across the state and that Floridians understand this is about putting medical decisions back in the hands of doctors and patients and out of the hands of politicians.”
Fundraising efforts for the Amendment 2 campaign have also been buoyed by Orlando-based trial lawyer John Morgan, the chairman for United for Care, who has contributed more than $2.6 million to the campaign and “given a blank check” to radio stations for commercials supporting the measure.
“I’m spending a fortune right now,” Morgan said. “I don’t know what the number will be until the month’s over.”
The $1 million donation matches that of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s to the Drug Free Florida Committee last month. The Anti-2 campaign has also received $1 million from Tampa Bay developer Mel Sembler and $800,000 from the Carol Jenkins Barnett Family Trust.
Florida is one of four states that will vote on medical marijuana measures during the general election. According to our poll aggregates, voters strongly support the initiative 68 percent to 23 percent.