Hemp Donations Fuel DeSantis And Florida GOP’s Charge Against Weed Legalization, New Findings
As Americans head to the polls on November 5 to elect a new president, Floridians will also weigh in on cannabis legalization. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been leading the anti-marijuana charge in the months-long heated debate.
The governor and the Republican Party of Florida have found a common bond with hemp companies that already sell high-potency cannabis to Floridians, at least when it comes to opposing the proposed constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 3, to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida.
According to a Miami Herald/Times investigation, the Republican Party of Florida and a political committee run by DeSantis’ chief of staff have acquired donations from such businesses after the governor vetoed a bill in June that would have banned certain intoxicating hemp-derived products. That bill would have outlawed the sale of products containing delta-8 THC and limited the amount of delta-9 THC, both of which are unregulated and widely available, including to minors.
Following DeSantis’s veto, hemp executives pledged up to $5 million in donations to the Republican Party in support of the governor’s effort to defeat Amendment 3, …