'It's Not About Politics': Pro-Weed Group Drops New Ad Featuring Jones, Gruters Joining Forces

The campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida released a new ad Wednesday featuring two politically rivaled Senators joining forces to encourage Floridians to vote "yes" on Amendment 3.

Financed by Smart and Safe Florida, the group pushing to get the state's weed amendment across the finish line, the 30-second ad begins with Democrat Sen. Shevrin Jones and Republican Sen. Joe Gruters acknowledging that though they agree on "hardly anything", they can agree that Amendment 3 is "good for Florida."

Jones, the Chairman of the party's Miami-Dade committee, and Gruters, the former state GOP Chair, take turns pointing out the positive effects of Amendment 3, including "freedom for Floridians" and more state financing for police and education.

"It's not about politics—it's about Florida," concludes Gruters, the first Republican Lawmaker to break party lines and announce his support of legalized marijuana. Though his party split earned him massive backlash from Gov. Ron DeSantis' communications team, former President Donald Trump announced weeks later that he too supported the amendment; putting both Trump and Gruters in direct conflict with DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida.

On Tuesday, the Florida Young Republicans also defected to the pro-Amendment 3 side in a show of growing bipartisan support for marijuana. This comes days after Smart and Safe Florida announced that they had raised over $90 million in the campaign for Amendment 3.

Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over, has been heavily targeted by the Governor's administration: DeSantis, alongside Attorney General Ashley Moody, argued to the state Supreme Court that the measure was too "misleading" to go to voters on Nov. 5. The Court disagreed.

DeSantis has since claimed the amendment will make the state "stink", allow people to bring "20 joints to an elementary school", and create an overall "corporate weed cartel" if passed. This was one of the main chunks of the Governor's speech at the party's "Victory Dinner" fundraiser over the weekend in Hollywood.

"It’s hard to remember a time @joegruters and I agreed on policy, but we’ve found common ground on Amendment 3," Jones posted on X.

"Who could believe @shevrinjones and me working together to finally make us the Free State of Florida! Welcome to the team," Gruters agreed.

If Amendment 3 passes with 60% of voter support on Nov. 5, it will become enshrined in the state constitution.