Marijuana companies are stepping up and supporting the Florida lawmakers by donating gobs of money into their political campaigns with medical marijuana a hot topic in the Sunshine State. Cannabis corporations licensed in the state of Florida have donated at least $2.5 million to political parties and lawmakers, according to a story in the Miami Herald.
After Gov. Rick Scott put his John Hancock on a bill that regulated the rather ripe Florida market so that patients could be using oils by prescription, as well as creams and vapes, but with a hard cap limiting store fronts and a ban on smoking flower, about two thirds of the donations came pouring in.
Millions in Donations are Made to Florida Politicians
The Democratic and Republican parties on Florida dually took in $517,000 from licensed cannabis corporations and their brass in Florida. Another $650,000 made it to the past, current, and odds on favorites to be future presidents in the Florida Senate was donated as well.
The biggest donor was a cannabis company with affiliation to Surterra, and the donation was $50,000 which went to Gov. Ron Desantis.
Low THC products were first allowed in 2014, and there are only a handful of companies that got in the mix, have given very “prolifically.”
Surterra has donated $1.1 million dating back to 2016.
Curaleaf, based in South Miami-Dade, has given $469,000.
With Florida not yet approving the sale and use of recreational marijuana, this is going to be an interesting state to follow. As a massive state with a huge retirement populace, it’s also something that I firmly believe will be going on a county by county vote to have recreational marijuana. I just don’t see the old timers in certain areas meshing with the youth in other areas and co-existing when it comes to having weed right there out in the open. Maybe I’m wrong, but I know the landscape well and see that happening.
Take Miami, a very Latin-influenced and small business oriented City. I see it doing very well with marijuana, much like Las Vegas marijuana business.
However, I don’t see Lee County and other places like Fort Myers, with a big midwest influence, having the same landscape.
Time will tell, and this will be an interesting state to follow.
