Latest Florida legalization effort gets $5 million in support

A recent legalization campaign launched by Smart & Safe Florida has garnered support from medical cannabis company Trulieve and Grammy-nominated country music group The Bellamy Brothers. Trulieve has donated $5 million to efforts that could lead to action on the 2024 ballots.

According to Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, legalization is all about access. “We came here on a mission to provide access to quality products that are safe and have an appropriate value proposition to put people in control of their – in the original days – medical journey,” Rivers told News Service of Florida. “I don’t think that’s going to change here. I mean, basically, what we’re fundamentally about is expanding the opportunities for access to safe, legal products, which would allow us to continue to do that.”

If passed, the amendment would legalize recreational cannabis for those aged 21 and over. This includes “possession, purchase, or use of marijuana and marijuana related equipment for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”

It would also change the state’s current “medical marijuana treatment centers” to “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute such products and supplies.” As of 2016, Florida requires these companies to be vertically integrated, meaning they must control everything from cultivation to retail sales. According to WJCT News, this is preventing smaller entrepreneurs from entering the industry.

Should voters eventually agree to this measure, it would still give legislators an opportunity to help shape regulations. “Any change in the state of Florida has to be very careful on individual issues with this court and so I know when I speak to the attorneys that there has been a very high focus on this, really on approving adult use and then allow the legislature to develop policy,” Rivers said.

The measure is also supported by the head of Smart & Safe Florida’s political committee and musician David Bellamy of the musical duo The Bellamy Brothers. The country group members are Florida natives who have previously worked with Trulieve to develop a line of cannabis products.

“As we travel across the country we see the benefits of adult use and as Florida residents we love the moniker ‘Free State’ and believe that Florida needs to join the millions of Americans whose adults are using cannabis freely without fear of incarceration be able. ‘ the duo told WJCT News in an email.

Another legalization initiative by the Sensible Florida political committee, which proposed regulating cannabis like alcohol, was rejected by the Florida Supreme Court in June 2021. Another initiative was also rejected in April 2021.

Despite these hurdles, Rivers is confident that Trulieve’s attorneys have analyzed these previous attempts to learn from the past. “Each initiative has enabled some level of learning,” Rivers said. “With this initiative, the authors have carefully considered and considered the Supreme Court rulings on the efforts to date. We believe it is a very appropriate and narrowly focused change that appropriately relates to the legislature.”

Compared to previous attempts to legalize cannabis in Florida, Rivers believes Trulieve’s strong support for medical cannabis patients could help spread the word about this new initiative. “One of the interesting aspects here is that we have (a) medicinal cannabis market and we have hundreds of thousands of patients in Florida who use medicinal cannabis on a regular basis. Our ability to reach out and communicate more directly…is a bit unique from a positioning standpoint,” concluded Rivers.

But according to Rivers, there are many passionate advocates in Florida who are willing to help. “While we’re happy to provide investment, we also believe there are a lot of people who are very committed to it and I expect a lot of commitment from across the community,” she added.

Advocates like The Bellamy Brothers, who believe legalization in Florida is a step toward ending nonviolent cannabis convictions. “We see it every day and hear it from everyone we speak to that the idea of ​​jailing adults for cannabis use and ruining their lives is insane. We have also read the polls and see consistent and strong support for efforts to enable adult use of cannabis,” wrote The Bellamy Brothers.

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