Trulieve Sues Florida GOP For Amendment 3 Disinformation Campaign
Trulieve Cannabis, Florida’s largest medical cannabis company, is taking off the gloves against purported political interference in the state. Yesterday, the company filed a defamation lawsuit against the Florida Republican Party (GOP) for misinforming voters regarding a proposed constitutional amendment that would permit the legal recreational use of cannabis. A purposeful deception at the highest levels of state government.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges the GOP conducted a deliberate misleading campaign opposing Amendment 3, the ballot initiative that would legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 years old and older. Trulieve, which has invested nearly $101.4 million in cash and in-kind contributions primarily through industry advocacy group Smart & Safe Florida, asserts the GOP has conducted an intentionally deceptive campaign featuring “demonstrably false” statements aimed at trying to deceive the electorate into rejecting adult-use reform.
At the heart of the allegations are GOP-sponsored television ads which Trulieve claims suggests that only major corporations would gain from the proposal. Critics argue the plan could establish a “monopoly” by restricting licenses and banning personal home cultivation.
One such ad features a gardener who sees a news broadcast saying that the amendment could “legalize recreational marijuana.” The gardener rushes to start planting but is confronted by a “Big Weed” character that says, “Actually, we wrote the amendment, so we’re the only ones that can grow it.”
In the lawsuit, Trulieve refutes this, stating that Florida already bans home cultivation of cannabis, an issue the proposed amendment does not address. The company also points out that the measure would allow state legislators to grant additional licenses if enacted.
Trulieve filed the lawsuit “to set the record straight, to vindicate its rights under civil law, to hold the defendants accountable for deceiving voters, and to recover compensatory and punitive damages,” the lawsuit said.
In addition, the lawsuit lists Sun Broadcasting, Inc. as defendants. Sun Broadcasting owns and operates the WXCW station, and Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, which owns and operates station WINK and is affiliated with Sun Broadcasting.
The legal challenge comes about a week after sending letters to the TV stations demanding that they pull down the ad.
Ron DeSantis Aggressive Stance Against Cannabis
Although Florida is expected to reap substantial economic benefits from legalized recreational cannabis markets, governor Ron DeSantis continues to oppose the industry with vigor. Far from remaining neutral on the matter, DeSantis has openly declared his opposition to legal cannabis use and Amendment 3.
In April, DeSantis characterized Amendment 3 as “very, very extreme” and expressed concerns that it would lead to public consumption of marijuana in places like restaurants, negatively affecting the quality of life in Florida. He warned that the reform could result in Florida’s cities and towns smelling like marijuana and criticized the measure for potentially granting broader constitutional rights than even the First Amendment.
Additionally, DeSantis has voiced strong objections to the corporate backing of the amendment, specifically pointing to Trulieve’s significant financial support. Thus, the antagonistic relationship between Trulieve and the governor’s office stretches back many months.
Moreover, the state apparatus through James Uthmeier, Chief of Staff to Governor DeSantis, has leveraged state resources to oppose Amendment 3. For instance, the Florida Department of Transportation recently aired public service announcements warning that passing the cannabis proposal could result in an increase in car accidents and rising auto insurance costs.
Despite State Opposition, Amendment 3 Remains On-Track to Pass
Despite significant state interference, a strong plurality of Florida voters appear to support Amendment 3. This belies a previous DeSantis prediction that, “Once voters figure out how radical both of those are, they’re going to fail.”
According to a recent poll by Republican-led firm Victory Insights, approximately 54% of likely voters favor Amendment 3, while 29% plan to vote against it. While the initiative remains short of 60% electoral support it needs to pass, almost 17% of respondents have yet to make up their minds. By projection, if we extrapolate a proportional ~5:3 split from the remaining vote from undecided voters, the 60% threshold could quite comfortably be obtained.
Additionally, a recent The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey found that 63.6 percent of likely voters in Florida back the cannabis measure, while 27.2 percent are opposed and 9.2 percent remain undecided. We note that the 60% threshold was obtained in lieu of a significant amount of undecided voters.
Final Thoughts
While the governor’s office has worked tirelessly to opposite recreational cannabis legislation, we believe Amendment 3 is on track to pass in November. Credible polling within the state has consistently shown that a strong plurality of voters support it, which jives along with overarching national trends.
Thus, it appears sentiment on legalizing recreational cannabis appears to be largely inelastic, which is bad news for Ron DeSantis’ continuous disinformation campaign.
