DeSantis’ war on weed 🦩

FLORIDA
DeSantis’ war on weed (continued)

What happened: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state GOP are continuing their war on Amendment 3, the ballot initiative that if passed, would legalize cannabis in the state.

But DeSantis and his party have come under fire for using taxpayer money to fight against the initiative, Politico reports. DeSantis remains undeterred, using his platform to continuously advocate against the ballot, saying it will benefit one company — Trulieve, which supports the legalization campaign — at the expense of Floridians. 

What they’re saying: “Amendment 3 is a brazen attempt by special interests to buy a spot in Florida’s constitution. The CEO of one marijuana corporation wrote the amendment, crafted the deceptive ballot summary, and has spent over $140 million to convince Floridians to vote for this special interest carve-out that would grant the Big Weed cartel unprecedented immunity from civil liability,” DeSantis said. 

And: “Amendment 3 would make marijuana more accessible to children, leading to more hospitalizations. Worst part? They can’t get sued. Mega-marijuana corporations wrote Amendment 3 and rigged it,” The Florida GOP said on X. 

Why it matters: DeSantis and the Florida GOP have honed in on an attack line that seems to resonate — Trulieve is supporting the bill, to the tune of over $140 million, to entrench themselves as a cannabis monopoly in the state.

But Trulieve, as we reported earlier this month, isn’t a monopoly. Oligopoly would be a more precise term, some experts say, and even then the company has numerous competitors in the market. The company operates 159 of the state’s 691 medical cannabis dispensaries, per MJBizDaily. 

It’s also clear that Trulieve wouldn’t sink this much money into the campaign if there wasn’t a financial benefit.

On the other hand, DeSantis and his party are fighting legalization tooth-and-nail. Without Trulieve supporting the initiative, the project might just get steamrolled by the powers that be. 

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, for her part, has been on a media tear lately trying to gin up support for the bill and correct misconceptions about what it can and can’t do. 

As we and others have reported, the ballot measure would legalize recreational cannabis but it’s up to the state’s Republican-held legislature to create regulations around the industry. So prepare for a fight. 

Oh my: DeSantis and his wife, Casey DeSantis, have also brought on board various crackpots to help with their effort to kill legalization, including former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, who wrote a widely panned book on the harms of marijuana and then pivoted shortly after to various conspiracy theories around the harms of vaccines, and Jenna Ellis, the lawyer who was disbarred, indicted, and plead guilty over her attempt to help Trump overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election. Ellis, I should note, is getting paid by the ‘No on 3’ campaign.

With friends like this…

What’s next: Recent polls show Amendment 3 with 60% support, though some have indicated higher support at 66%. The ballot measure, supported by former President Donald Trump who is likely to win the state, needs a 60% supermajority to pass. 

-JB

“Legalizing recreational cannabis is an important issue to Granite Staters, and it’s past time we got it done,” New Hampshire Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joyce Craig said during a visit to a medical cannabis facility. 

“New Hampshire is the only state in New England without legalization and we are missing out on tens of millions of dollars from this growing industry.”

Live Free or Die… except when it comes to adults consuming cannabis, we guess.

Minnesota gears up for legalization 📊

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill legalizing cannabis into law in May. But, perhaps predictably, the state’s cannabis regulatory agency — the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management — is being deliberately non-specific about when the license lottery will be held and when stores will open, though they’re hopeful it will happen before the end of the year. Read more at MinnPost. 

Pennsylvania governor signs cannabis tax relief bill 🌿

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill into law that would give dispensaries and other cannabis industry participants relief from 280E, a federal rule that prevents cannabis companies from deducting regular business expenses. A previous version of Pennsylvania’s bill omitted dispensaries, and that’s now been corrected. 

Social equity troubles in Missouri 📉

When Missouri legalized cannabis in 2022, the state created a robust microbusiness-licensing program in order to benefit those harmed by the War on Drugs. But out of the 96 licenses awarded, 41 have been revoked and another three are being investigated over connections to predatory investors, reports The Missouri Independent. 

California reports recommends state-run cannabis shops 🌁

A new report from the High Potency Cannabis Think Tank, convened by California’s Department of Public Health, suggests that the state should take over cannabis sales as a state-run monopoly — like in Quebec, or some Canadian provinces’ liquor-selling model — and cap cannabis products by THC potency. Read more at Marijuana Moment.

A fake deal?

In a WTF-moment, Florida cannabis Flora Growth Corp released a flurry of press releases yesterday. Among them was one touting a partnership with Curaleaf to import cannabis into the newly legal German market. But a spokesperson for Curaleaf said in an email “there’s no agreement in place” between the two companies. Hmm. In any case, Flora Growth’s stock dropped nearly 13% yesterday.

Cannabis and pain relief 🤝

A new longitudinal study published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy found that patients using cannabis recorded notable improvements and the reduction of pain medications. Read more.

Canadian cannabis processing firm Ayurcann reported a $45.2 million (CAD) revenue for the last fiscal year. The press release did not include an income statement.

Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign to legalize cannabis in the state, has a new ad touting how both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump agree on cannabis reform.

Watch it below, and read our October 29 newsletter for more on the federal election. 

Kim Rivers wants to legalize marijuana in Florida. She has to beat Ron DeSantis first. | Politico

California should cap THC levels in marijuana and test a government-run cannabis monopoly, state-commissioned report says | Marijuana Moment

Wisconsin pizzeria error led dozens to eat cannabis oil pizza | The New York Times

The VA is undeterred on psychedelics | Politico

The cannabis campaign: Legalization, rescheduling hang in balance on Election Day | The Washington Times