DeSantis Faces Backlash For Using Opioid Settlement Funds On Anti-Cannabis Campaign
Florida is using millions of dollars in settlement money from opioid manufacturers and distributors to bankroll Governor Ron DeSantis‘s ongoing anti-cannabis campaign, according to state records. State law stipulates the opioid settlement trust fund is meant to “abate the opioid epidemic” and provide resources for affected communities.
However, the state Department of Children and Families, reported the Tampa Bay Times on Friday, spent $4 million to pay a marketing agency for an “advertising campaign aimed at educating Floridian families and youth about the dangers of marijuana, opioid, and drug use,” raising questions about misusing resources earmarked for the opioid crisis.
The outlet noted that the department did not respond to questions about what that campaign includes, though in recent weeks it has released two ads warning about the dangers of marijuana use among teenagers, linking …