DeSantis Uses Opioid Settlement Funds for Ads Against Marijuana Legalization

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is using opioid settlement money to fund ads encouraging voters to reject a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, according to a report report from Miami Herald. State records reveal that the Florida Department of Children and Families spent $4 million last month to pay a marketing firm for “an advertising campaign aimed at educating Florida families and youth about the dangers of marijuana, opioid and drug use.”

The Ministry did not respond to questions Miami Herald about what is included in the advertising campaign. The news outlet reported that two ads have been released in the state in recent weeks warning about the dangers of marijuana use by teens, including linking marijuana use to mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. One of the ads suggested that the marijuana produced today was “designed by corporations for one purpose: to rewire the human mind.”

DeSantis Urges Voters to Reject Weed Legalization

The ads aired as DeSantis was in the midst of a campaign urging Florida voters to vote no. Amendment 3The constitutional amendment, an initiative to legalize marijuana, will be on the ballot in next week’s general election. The ads do not specifically mention the ballot measure, but supporters of Amendment 3 believe they are connected to DeSantis’ efforts to encourage voters to reject the proposal.

DeSantis recently held two news conferences to campaign against Amendment 3, calling the marijuana legalization measure “more liberal” than marijuana laws in states like California and Colorado. At a press conference, a woman claimed that her son died of an opioid overdose after he started using drugs initially with marijuana.

The governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, also held several press conferences with law enforcement to campaign against Amendment 3. Additionally, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, head of the state health department, used a television interview to warn about the dangers of marijuana.

The state retained the services of Tallahassee-based marketing firm Strategic Digital Services to create a campaign to warn Floridians about the dangers of marijuana and other drugs. A state database reveals the state’s opioid settlement fund was used to pay some of the company’s fee.

Florida’s opioid settlement fund will receive nearly $3 billion from lawsuits filed against drug manufacturers and distributors for actions that contributed to the nation’s opioid overdose epidemic. The settlement agreement and state law require the funds to be used to “reduce the opioid epidemic.” Among the fund’s state-approved uses, “substance use disorders” are mentioned generally, but the list of approved uses focuses specifically on opioid use.

Miami Herald did not determine whether the ads were produced under the contract with Strategic Digital Services. However, both ads were first broadcast after the contract was signed.

Change 3 Supporters’ Response to Marketing Campaign

On Friday, a bipartisan group of Amendment 3 supporters held a press conference criticizing the DeSantis administration, saying the administration was misusing public money to campaign against the amendment to legalize marijuana.

“At the end of the day, tax dollars should not be used to fund propaganda,” said Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters.

Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine, a member of a statewide council charged with reviewing the effectiveness of the residential trust fund, said the group has not discussed using the money for an anti-marijuana campaign. The Republican commissioner said marijuana use is “clearly a different issue,” adding that it would be “ridiculous” to use money from the opioid settlement fund for anti-marijuana ads.

Steve Reilly, head of government relations for Insa, a multi-state marijuana operator with medical marijuana operations in Florida, says in an email: “Governor DeSantis’ opposition to Amendment 3 is an opioid compromise that aims to benefit those with opioid addiction.” “It takes necessary resources from a population that needs assistance most.”

“But this campaign is about the positive benefits the adult cannabis market provides, including safely tested and regulated products, tax revenue, jobs and the elimination of the illicit market,” Reilly adds. “We hope compassionate Floridians will understand actions like these by our opponents and vote yes on the third amendment for the right reasons on November 5.”

Amendment 3 Legalizes Recreational Marijuana for Adults

If Florida voters approve Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional amendment would allow the state’s existing medical marijuana providers, which was legalized in 2016, to sell marijuana to all adults 21 and over. Adults will be allowed to purchase up to three ounces of marijuana in a single purchase, including more than five grams of marijuana concentrate. The bill does not include provisions to expunge past marijuana convictions or allow marijuana cultivation at home. Activists feared this would lead the Supreme Court to block the measure, which relied on state laws limiting ballot initiatives to a single issue.

The proposed constitutional amendment also allows the Florida legislature to issue additional adult-use marijuana business licenses, but state lawmakers are not required to do so. The initiative maintains Florida’s existing vertically integrated business structure, which requires operators to control the production and marketing of marijuana from seed to sale.