Business
Trulieve throws its weight behind adult-use marijuana legalization in Florida
One of the biggest cannabis companies in the nation is throwing millions of dollars behind a proposed ballot measure for 2024 that would legalize adult-use marijuana in Florida.
Trulieve Cannabis, based in Tallahassee, Florida, filed a constitutional amendment with the state Division of Elections on Monday to allow anyone 21 or older to buy and consume cannabis, the News Service of Florida reported.
Not only has Trulieve helped write the proposal, but it’s also a major financial backer, having already contributed $5 million to the campaign.
More companies are expected to contribute as well, and the Bellamy Brothers – a pop and country-music duo – have already lent their formal endorsement.
Still, the campaign faces a tough road: It must collect and remit nearly 900,000 voter signatures to make the ballot.
Trulieve is the largest MMJ operator in Florida, with 119 dispensaries as of Aug. 5, according to state data.
Florida legalized medical marijuana in 2016 after a failed attempt in 2014, in part because approving a constitutional amendment requires at least a 60% supermajority at the ballot instead of a simple majority.
Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers told the News Service of Florida that the ballot measure is “all about improving access” for consumers.
“We are at our core about expanding the opportunity for access to safe legal product, which is what this would allow us to continue to do,” Rivers said.
A separate marijuana legalization campaign, led by Sensible Florida, is also underway for the 2024 ballot after having failed to qualify for the 2022 ballot.
But that campaign so far has garnered less than 23,000 signatures, the News Service of Florida reported.