The battle over legal Cannabis in Florida is heating up before a final showdown in November. Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign behind the state’s legalization measure, has released a new ad that highlights the importance of a regulated marijuana market.
The pro-pot spot states that “most Americans have access to legal marijuana that is regulated and tested for safety, but not Florida. Most Florida marijuana is illegal, produced by criminals and can be laced with dangerous drugs like fentanyl” it states.
The 30-second ad features “a Florida mom and voter who believes adult Floridians deserve the individual freedom to consume safe, tested adult-use marijuana,” according to a campaign press release. It will run “across broadcast, cable, streaming, radio and digital platforms.”
The pro-legalization campaign came on the heels of a report that Gov. Ron DeSantis will veto a bill that would ban the consumable hemp industry in Florida. And following the Smart & Safe Florida advertisement’s release, Gov DeSantis did indeed veto that bill. The ban would have made hemp-derived cannabinoid products like delta-8 THC illegal.
However, DeSantis is no friend of the hemp industry. He’s just a bigger enemy of the Cannabis industry. Vetoing this ban is a strategic move as the governor hopes a legal hemp industry will help defeat marijuana legalization.
The theory goes that DeSantis believes there is a financial incentive for the legal hemp industry to help maintain marijuana prohibition. And so, if the enemy of his enemy is his friend, the hemp industry will contribute to scuttling legal weed in Florida.
While polling on adult-use legalization has varied, internal surveys project it passing despite needing to hit 60 percent of the vote, which is necessary to approve a constitutional amendment.
Check out Smart & Safe Florida’s new ad promoting adult-use Cannabis:
