(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana is funded primarily by one of the nation’s largest cultivators and is the most expensive one in the country’s history.
DeSantis continued his tour of speaking engagements in Tampa on Wednesday as he tries to rally support of voters against two amendments on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Amendment 3 could enshrine recreational marijuana into the state’s constitution, while Amendment 4 could place abortion rights in the document.
The latest polling shows Amendment 3 with 60% approval among 913 registered voters in a survey by the Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab and Mainstreet Research USA, which would be a large enough margin to put it in the constitution.
Six percent remain undecided, while 32% are opposed.
The same poll showed 58% of respondents expressing support for Amendment 4, with 32% opposed and 11% undecided.
The poll was conducted between Oct. 19 and Oct 27 and has a margin of error of 3.2%.
Supporters of Amendment 3 have raised $148 million, with $141.8 million coming from one contributor, a cannabis retailer called Trulieve, according to data from the secretary of state’s office.
The company has added $38 million to the group’s war chest in the last week.
“Your default should be no,” DeSantis said. “If they can’t prove to you that this should be in the constitution, then you move on with the no vote. This didn’t just grow on a tree somewhere, it wasn’t just dropped down like manna from heaven.
“The only way they could justify spending $141 million to try and enact a constitutional amendment they have drafted is if this will guarantee that they generate major profits for their shareholders.”
DeSantis says Amendment 3 would hurt the state’s economy, reduce the quality of life by allowing rampant public use of marijuana and would make the job of law enforcement much more difficult.
The attorney and second-term Republican governor also warns Floridians that this “special interest carveout” would grant “the Big Weed cartel” unprecedented immunity from civil liability.
He also said the amendment would be an immunity shield “that would make big pharma blush.” He also said that the state already has a medical marijuana program with more than 1 million cardholders and that law enforcement officials aren’t putting people into jail for possessing marijuana or using it in their homes.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco warned voters that once something is in the state’s constitution, there’s little lawmakers can do to change it.
“When it’s in the constitution, it’s almost like putting it in concrete,” Nocco said. “You can’t fix it. You can’t move it. But when it’s in statute, those things can be moved around.”