(The Center Square) – On the eve of Election Day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to blast a ballot initiative that would create a recreational marijuana program in the state.
DeSantis made appearances in Miami and Orlando on Monday and urged voters to reject Amendment 3, which would create a recreational marijuana program and is heavily funded by a cannabis retailer, Quincy-based Trulieve.
To become part of the state’s constitution, 60% of voters will need to vote yes for Amendment 3.
“Changing the constitution is a big deal,” DeSantis said. “Once an amendment passes, it’s effectively permanent – and any problems it may create cannot simply be ‘fixed’ by legislation. Before voting on any amendment, it’s doubly important to read the fine print, find out how it got on the ballot, and understand the motivations behind these campaigns – fueled by hundreds of millions of special interest money – to change our constitution and our state.
“Amendment 3 is bankrolled by one big weed company that has buried special privileges for itself in the text of the amendment. It’s not about freedom, it’s about corporate greed.”
Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee that put Amendment 3 on the ballot, wrote on X on Monday, “In states that have legalized adult-use recreational marijuana, the elimination of underground markets has driven a reduction in underage use while generating billions in tax revenue to reinvest in youth programs and scholarships.”
According to data from the Florida secretary of state’s office, most of the $153 million raised for Amendment 3 comes from Trulieve, whose stock is publicly traded on the Canadian stock exchange. The company has contributed nearly $148.8 million, with the latest contribution of $1.7 million coming Thursday.
DeSantis said there is no freedom for Florida residents to grow their own cannabis under Amendment 3 and says “you’ll have to buy it from them (Trulieve and the other dispensaries).”
The second-term Republican governor also says it’ll curtail the freedom of those who don’t want to partake in marijuana usage because “it’ll be everywhere.”
According to the text of the amendment, “The nonmedical personal use of marijuana products and marijuana accessories by an adult, as defined below, in compliance with this section is not subject to any criminal or civil liability or sanctions under Florida Law.”
“It’d be a really significant impact on the quality of life,” DeSantis said. “I understand people who don’t want to be involved with marijuana, but trust me, marijuana will be involved with you.”
He said that some University of Miami fans told him about the Hurricanes’ trip to the University of California-Berkley for a football game and they said they were getting high in the stands “because everywhere there is marijuana smoke in the middle of a football game.”