The Vote No on 3 campaign released its first television ad Saturday in opposition to Amendment 3, calling the initiative a "monopoly amendment" for marijuana companies in an effort to legalize marijuana in Florida.
“Floridians know a bad deal when they see one,” Vote No on 3 Spokeswoman Sarah Bascom said in a release. “This amendment does nothing for them and was written solely to pad the profits of the mega marijuana corporations by granting them a monopoly. It’s not about access to weed, it’s about corporate greed.”
Advertised statewide, the 30-second spot describes how mega marijuana corporations wrote Amendment 3 and funneled $60 million to push on November's ballot. It also highlights the measure bans homegrown pot and creates special licenses for marijuana corporations.
"This isn't going to work out the way people advocating for really believe it is. Ultimately, look where the money is coming from, follow the money, look where the push is coming from," Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, told The Floridian. "That's not what Florida is about, that's not what America should be about. I am strongly against this, I think people to read into this, understand what's going on and stand firm."
The initiative has also received $75 million in additional funding from Truelive, the state's largest medical marijuana company.
Sponsored by Smart and Safe Florida, Amendment 3 would allow adults 21 years of age or older to "possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise."
The amendment, if passed, would also allow Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers to "acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, and sell such products and accessories."
"We don't want our communities; we don't want our state being pulled down by this. We don't want the mess, we just don't need this happening right now," Collins added.
Although, Collins opined he was open to "discuss" decriminalizing marijuana over legalization. He also stopped short of classifying marijuana as a "gateway drug" following
"My stance is pretty firm on this one, but ultimately I'll say the same thing I say to everything, I'm always willing to sit and listen and have a conversation," Collins said. "Maybe we learn something new, maybe I don't. But nonetheless, that's what the process is about. Let's have that conversation."
However, Collins stopped short of classifying marijuana as a "gateway drug", including after Florida voters overwhelmingly supported the use of medical marijuana in 2016.
"What I do know is this, there are people who can't live their life without it. There are people who need it from a medical standpoint," Collins continued. "I've have seen people who benefit from this from a medicinal standpoint. We do that in Florida, and it works very well. To me, I don't think we need to mess with what we have. I think it works very well the way it is. But in the end, it's on the ballot and we have to make sure we educate people in our communities and across the state."
While "Vote No on 3" has just blitzed the airwaves, a counter "Yes on 3" campaign has already spent $9 million in television ads over the past several months. Despite heavy financial backing, polling has shown Amendment 3 failing to reach the 60% threshold in order to pass.
“The ‘Yes on 3’ campaign may as well have taken the money they spent on TV in recent weeks and tossed it in the Everglades,” Vote No on 3 Senior Advisor Ryan Tyson added. “The more voters heard their case, the more support Amendment 3 lost.”
At the state level, Gov. Ron DeSantis and The Republican Party of Florida have announced opposition to Amendment 3. However, former President Trump has signaled support for its passage.
If it were to pass, Collins advised the state would need to have "hard conversations" in the Senate and House to regulate marijuana.
"Ultimately, we have to lead on this issue in the state of Florida, and we have to say we are not going to tolerate nonsense," Collins continued. "We are not going to tolerate lawlessness. We want to maintain this. We want to maintain who we are as a state and what we stand for. It's that simple."
