It is becoming a messy in the public vs Governor fight for legal marijuana and DeSantis is NOT happy.
Florida has had a troubled history with marijuana. Originally part of a Tri-state growing kingdom (the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and Alabama)…the national transition toward legal weed has been tough. Now, in the latest chapter of the fight for legal marijuana, the Governor is upset the the state’s citizen’s desire is pulling ahead of his focus on nanny state policies. The public vs governor in Florida marijuana legalization fight is clear who wants to win. The public has significantly raised more than the Governor and his allies.
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When medical marijuana was first put on the ballot, citizens were supportive. It was reasonable considering the amount of veterans and senior citizens in the state. PTSD and chronic pain are two of the ways the American Medical Association, Health and Human Services and science acknowledge cannabis has medical benefits. In general, Florida is in the top 3 states with retirees, a group the Governor thought he can rely on for support, but the state supported medical marijuana by 61%. When he said it wasn’t enough, they voted again passing it at 71%.
When the public started a ballot campaign to put recreational marijuana to a vote, DeSantis and his allies swung into action. The Florida Attorney General said it didn’t overcome the threshold and accused it of being misleading. The Florida Supreme Court disagreed and now it is on the November ballot. But the Governor is unhappy and has said the public is confused and they should rely on him for the marijuana policies.
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In a further setback, the Governor’s efforts to slow support seems to be collapsing. DeSantis’ Freedom Fund PAC, with a stated goal of defeating cannabis legalization and abortion access, has raised only $10,000. DeSantis wanted neither topic on the ballot as it tends to pull in more democratic, independent and moderate voters. Smart & Safe Florida, the committee leading the initiative, which is the best-funded cannabis legalization amendment in American history, reported it had has raised over $60 million. Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group behind the proposed amendment around abortion rights has brought in $20 million since it went on the ballot.
The state is home to #Floridaman, so there is bound to be more wackiness in the lead up to the election.
