Florida marijuana legalization effort stinks, state AG tells excessive courtroom

A marijuana multistate operator-backed push to legalize adult-use hashish in Florida is trying to mislead voters round – amongst different issues – hashish’ scent, the state lawyer normal claimed.

Lawyer Basic James Uthmeier’s accusation, made in a state Supreme Courtroom submitting and supported by key enterprise teams, together with the state Chamber of Commerce, is the most recent in a protracted string of efforts to thwart legalizing adult-use hashish within the nation’s greatest medical-only market.

And it comes amid an ongoing problem to signatures already collected by legalization marketing campaign Good & Protected Florida, which is primarily bankrolled by Tallahassee-based MSO Trulieve Hashish Corp.

Florida adult-use marijuana legalization marketing campaign misleads round hashish scent, AG claims

With greater than $1.8 billion in medical hashish gross sales, Florida is poised to turn into one of many greatest adult-use markets within the nation after legalization.

Regardless of assist from President Donald Trump, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis appears decided to cease it.

In accordance with The Tampa Bay Occasions, Uthmeier – a former chief of workers to DeSantis, who opposed the 2024 legalization effort – referred to as the Good & Protected marketing campaign “fatally flawed” and unconstitutional in addition to deceptive.

Along with claims that the modification violates state regulation limiting constitutional amendments’ scope, Uthmeier paid specific consideration to hashish’ scent – and claimed that whereas the Good & Protected modification prohibits hashish use “in public,” there’s no assure that Floridians wouldn’t scent marijuana.

“The poll abstract would lead voters to consider that voting sure would guarantee there isn’t a marijuana — or its scent — ‘in public,’ whereas the precise modification delivers no such factor,” the lawyer normal mentioned in filings, based on the Occasions.

“The ‘in public’ abstract language would likewise deceive Florida dad and mom into considering this initiative will prohibit marijuana smoking close to their youngsters in resorts, eating places, sports activities venues, and different areas open to most of the people. The initiative gives no such safety.”

Good & Protected’s response is due in courtroom on Jan. 12.

Will Florida legalize adult-use marijuana in 2026?

In an announcement to the Occasions, the marketing campaign identified {that a} related effort from DeSantis’ administration to defeat the 2024 marketing campaign on the state Supreme Courtroom failed.

“5.9 million voters authorised of the measure in 2024, and over one million Florida voters have signed petitions to place the present language on the poll, we hope their voices gained’t be ignored,” the assertion learn.

To cross a constitutional modification in Florida, a 60% approval is required. Trulieve-backed Modification 2 failed in November 2024 regardless of greater than $150 million in marketing campaign spending and an endorsement from Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee.

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers is credited with convincing Trump to difficulty the historic Dec. 18 government order downgrading hashish to a Schedule 3 drug.

Nevertheless, there are extra issues this time round on the state degree in Florida.

In a separate courtroom case, Good & Protected is preventing state elections officers over their determination to invalidate tens of hundreds of signatures.

Good & Protected should submit not less than 880,062 legitimate signatures by Feb. 1.

The marketing campaign has submitted simply over 675,000 legitimate signatures to this point, based on the state elections web site. Trulieve has contributed not less than $25 million to the marketing campaign to this point, based on marketing campaign finance information.