Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin has donated $12 million to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida. Griffin, CEO of the investment firm Citadel, announced the contribution in an opinion piece in the Miami Herald, describing the amendment as “a terrible plan to create the nation’s most expansive and destructive marijuana laws.”
The proposal, appearing on the November ballot as Amendment 3, would allow the state’s medical marijuana companies to sell recreational cannabis to individuals aged 21 and older. Trulieve, Florida’s largest medical marijuana operator, has been a major supporter of the initiative, contributing over $60 million to the effort.
Read: Florida GOP Senator Backs Pot Amendment, Making Some Republicans Scratch Their Heads
Governor Ron DeSantis, an ally of Griffin, opposes the amendment. His chief of staff, James Uthmeier, leads two political committees focused on defeating the marijuana measure and another proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. Griffin’s donation to the “Keep Florida Clean” committee forms a significant portion of the $20 million he plans to spend on Florida’s elections this year.
“Passage of Amendment 3 would create a monopoly for large marijuana dispensaries and permit pot use in public and private areas throughout Florida. That will help no one other than special interests — and it will hurt us all, especially through more dangerous roads, a higher risk of addiction among our youth, and an increase in crime,” Griffin wrote.
However, Morgan Hill of the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which supports the amendment, countered Griffin’s claims in a statement. Hill emphasized that over “1 million Floridians signed a petition to put Amendment 3 on the ballot so that no adult will go to jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana, and Floridians will no longer have to turn to street products laced with dangerous substances like fentanyl. We remain focused on communicating the public health benefits and expanded individual freedom of legalizing recreational marijuana for adults and creating a better Florida for all.”
Read: Florida’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative: What Voters Need To Know
The Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association have also announced their opposition to the proposed amendment, which requires 60 percent voter approval to pass. In a contrasting stance, state Senator Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican and former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, recently expressed his support for the measure.
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