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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is being accused of weaponizing a taxpayer-funded ad from a state agency as part of his campaign to defeat a marijuana legalization initiative that will appear on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
Advocates have sent multiple cease and desist letters to TV stations airing the Florida Department of Transportation ad, which warns against driving while under the influence of cannabis and claims \u201cDUI crashes increase in states with legalized marijuana, putting everyone at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign behind Amendment 3, alleges in the letters that a political committee called Vote No on 3 secured the public service announcement as a means of amplifying an opposition talking point for a lower cost by going through the government.<\/p>\n
The ad says that a DUI conviction \u201ccan more than double your car insurance.\u201d It continues: \u201cUnlike alcohol, there\u2019s no easy way for law enforcement to detect how high you are when driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t drive high. It can raise your premiums\u2014or end your life,\u201d the PSA, first reported<\/a> by Politico, says.<\/p>\n If your THC level isn’t zero, you’re not okay to drive. #DriveHighGetaDUI<\/a>. It can cause you legal troubles, raise your premiums, and could even end your life. #StayAlertStayAlive<\/a> #DriveSober<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UFeHp0Sm4w<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FLORIDA DOT (@MyFDOT) September 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n But it\u2019s the claim that legalization leads to increased instances of impaired driving\u2014being made by a state agency just weeks before voters decide on the reform\u2014that activists say is especially improper. Research on the topic has been mixed, and even federal reports have said the effects of cannabis use on driving are unclear at this point<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFlorida law demands that campaigns be operated in the sunshine,\u201d Smart & Safe Florida\u2019s letters to television networks says. \u201cAccepting taxpayer funds to broadcast State Propaganda under the guise of a public service announcement\u2014and at an anticompetitive and severely discounted rate\u2014should not be countenanced.\u201d<\/p>\n The campaign also alleged that the stations declined to air a \u201cpolitically neutral\u201d alternative ad. Instead, advocates said, they chose to play into the opposition committee\u2019s \u201cruse to obtain the highly discounted rates\u201d for the ad, The Miami Herald reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party and a former state agriculture commissioner, also weighed in on the controversy, stating that \u201cDesantis uses YOUR money to campaign against legalizing cannabis,\u201d as well as a separate reproductive rights initiative on the ballot.<\/p>\n Desantis uses YOUR money to campaign against legalizing cannabis and reproductive freedom. <\/p>\n Hey Legislature, you all cool with this? What ever happened to being fiscally conservative? And that whole law and order thing? https:\/\/t.co\/pupYDHIhc6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) September 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cHey Legislature, you all cool with this? What ever happened to being fiscally conservative? And that whole law and order thing?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Fried, as well as the state Democratic party she oversees, recently endorsed Amendment 3. And the chair also laid out a framework for regulating cannabis<\/a> that she thinks the legislature should enact if voters do approve the reform. That involves automatic expungements for prior marijuana convictions, taking steps to mitigate the risk of monopolization in the industry and directing tax revenue to Black communities and education.<\/p>\n Jeff Brandes, a Republican former state senator and current president of the nonprofit Florida Policy Project, said that while he still expects Amendment 3 will pass, the DeSantis administration\u2019s decision to air the PSA \u201cis setting a dangerous precedent and is unlikely to be authorized in Florida\u2019s budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s Amendment 3 will still pass, but this is setting a dangerous precedent and is unlikely to be authorized in Florida\u2019s budget. Expect lawsuits! Plus, $15 million could\u2019ve fixed a lot of potholes.<\/p>\n Desperation is not a good look! https:\/\/t.co\/6yQc76yDTJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jeff Brandes (@JeffreyBrandes) September 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cExpect lawsuits! Plus, $15 million could\u2019ve fixed a lot of potholes,\u201d he said. \u201cDesperation is not a good look!\u201d<\/p>\n The controversy comes as the legalization campaign ramps up its own advertising to shore up support for the measure, which needs at least 60 percent of the vote to pass as a constitutional amendment.<\/p>\n Smart & Safe Florida rolled out a series of new ads this past week<\/a>\u2014including one calling out the hypocrisy of criminalizing cannabis while alcohol is legally available and another featuring a county sheriff making the case for ending marijuana prohibition.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, two more congressional Republicans representing Florida recently weighed in on the state\u2019s marijuana legalization initiative<\/a>\u2014with Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) predicting it will fail and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) saying he remains undecided on the measure even after former President Donald Trump came out in support of it.<\/p>\n A pair of Republican and Democratic Florida senators\u00a0recently teamed up to promote the state marijuana legalization initiative<\/a>, making a joint appearance in a new ad for the campaign as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) continues to rally against the measure, claiming it would benefit a corporate \u201cweed cartel.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Joe Gruters (R), the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, and Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) stood side-by-side in the ad for Smart & Safe Florida, acknowledging that while they \u201cdon\u2019t agree on much\u2014hardly anything\u201d and would be each voting for their respective party\u2019s presidential nominee, they \u201cdo agree on this: Amendment 3 is good for Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n While polling has also\u00a0consistently demonstrated that the ballot measure enjoys majority support<\/a> from Democrats and Republicans alike\u2014and despite the fact that the 2024 GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump, has endorsed it as well\u2014Florida\u2019s governor has not relented in his crusade to defeat it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers and Gruters, the GOP state senator,\u00a0also met with Trump ahead of his endorsement of Amendment 3<\/a>, as well as federal rescheduling and industry banking access.<\/p>\n \u2014 There\u2019s been a mixed bag of feedback on Amendment 3 from members of Florida\u2019s congressional delegation.<\/p>\n One pro-legalization GOP congressman, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), recently said he intends to vote against it,\u00a0strictly because he feels the reform should be enacted statutorily<\/a>, rather than as a constitutional amendment that would prove more challenging to amend.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus,\u00a0predicted earlier this year that the measure will pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separately, another recent survey from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which is against the cannabis initiative, found that\u00a059 percent of likely voters in the state back Amendment 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n A separate poll from the James Madison Institute (JMI) showed\u00a064 percent of likely voters in Florida are in favor of the legalization proposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n More Than 200,000 People Were Arrested Over Marijuana Last Year In The U.S., The Vast Majority For Possession, New FBI Report Shows<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post DeSantis Faces Backlash Over Taxpayer-Funded Ads Claiming Marijuana Legalization Leads To Increased Car Crashes Ahead Of Florida Vote<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is being accused of weaponizing a taxpayer-funded ad from a state agency as part of his campaign to defeat a marijuana legalization initiative that will appear on the November ballot. Advocates have sent multiple cease and desist letters to TV stations airing the Florida DepartmentContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":77959,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77958"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77960,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77958\/revisions\/77960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: DeSantis Faces Backlash Over Taxpayer-Funded Ads Claiming Marijuana Legalization Leads To Increased Car Crashes Ahead Of Florida Vote<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"