DeSantis says recreational marijuana ballot initiative is 'corporate greed'

Gov. Ron DeSantis cautioned Florida voters against passage of Amendment 3 that would make recreational marijuana legal in the Sunshine State.

DeSantis made his remarks at a news conference in Fort Myers on Thursday as he continues a campaign against two well-funded ballot initiatives.

"We're a proud state with in-migration, we've got the lowest per capita debt in the country, we've got low taxes, we're No. 1 in education," DeSantis said. "Why would you want to set a precedent where one company can come spend $110 million and ensconce itself in our state's constitution?

"If you put the money out, craft the language and you too can have a spot in Florida's constitution. This is such an obvious power grab motivated by corporate greed."

Amendment 3 would legalize the possession and purchase of up to 3 ounces of marijuana and 5 grams of concentrates, while Amendment 4 would enshrine abortion rights. Amendments require 60% of the vote to become part of the state's constitution.

"When these special interest amendments get on, they're trying to write it in a way that will trick as many people as possible to vote for it," DeSantis said. "That's by design and they spend millions of dollars to poll test this.

"This amendment was written by the CEO and this is a weed company traded on the Canadian stock exchange. This amendment is written to benefit this one, big weed company."

He was referring to Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers.

The second-term Republican governor said the amendment would create a "big weed cartel" and would prohibit citizens from growing their own product once the established dispensaries started lobbying lawmakers for greater penalties on homegrown marijuana.

He also said certain things don't belong in the constitution, such as marijuana legalization, and should be done through the legislative process.

He also said the amendment is more liberal on public prohibitions than Colorado, which was the first state to legalize recreational cannabis and will "forever change the culture of Florida."

Proponents of Amendment 3 have raised more than $110 million, with $103 million coming from the Trulieve Cannabis Corp, a Quincy-based marijuana retailer that is the largest in the U.S.

According to the company's investor relations page, Trulieve had $2.9 billion in revenues for the year to date ending on June 30, compared to $2.79 billion during the same time last year. Trulieve has dispensaries in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"It is not meant to benefit you. It's not meant to benefit the state," DeSantis said. "They are not spending $100 million because they want to benefit you or to benefit the state of Florida."

Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general, said the right way to handle the issue would be for lawmakers to pass a recreational program and that the amendment was designed and crafted for the benefit of a single entity.

Hardee County Sheriff Vent Crawford said passage of the amendment would lead to children using more marijuana and that would lead to more traffic fatalities.