Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday announced the establishment of a new political action committee to fund a campaign to defeat a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. Dubbed the Florida Freedom Fund, the new PAC will also raise money to help defeat a separate initiative to protect abortion rights that will appear on the ballot for the November general election.
The political committee was formed in late May, Politico reported on Monday. The group is chaired by James Uthmeier, the governor’s chief of staff who also served as campaign manager for DeSantis’ failed bid for the presidency. The move comes as the governor works to reestablish his leadership over the Florida Republican Party after his failed presidential bid caused his influence to wane.
The Florida Freedom Fund was formed to raise money for the campaign against Amendment 3, which would amend the Florida Constitution to legalize the possession and use of cannabis for adults. The political committee also has set its sights on Amendment 4, which would firmly establish the right to abortion in the Florida Constitution.
Amendment 3 Would Legalize Weed in Florida
More than one million voters signed petitions to place Amendment 3 on the ballot for the 2024 general election. If passed, the constitutional amendment initiative would allow the state’s current providers of medical marijuana, which was legalized in Florida in 2016, to begin selling cannabis to all adults aged 21 and up. Adults would be allowed to purchase up to three ounces of marijuana at a time, including no more than five grams of cannabis concentrates. The bill does not include provisions to expunge past cannabis convictions or the home cultivation of marijuana, which activists feared would lead the Supreme Court to block the measure based on state laws that limit ballot initiatives to a single …
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Author: A.J. Herrington / High Times
