In a bipartisan effort, two Florida state senators have come together to promote the Florida cannabis legalization initiative, known as Amendment 3 that will appear on the ballot in the November 2024 election. Republican Sen. Joe Gruters and Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones are featured in a new ad sponsored by the Smart & Safe Florida campaign.

Gruters, a former chair of the Florida Republican Party, and Jones, a prominent Democratic senator, acknowledge that they "don't agree on much—hardly anything" and would each be voting for their respective party's presidential nominee, but legalizing marijuana is an issue they can both get behind.

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Gruters came out in favor of cannabis legalization over the summer and Jones stressed the social justice aspects of the measure. He says legalizing cannabis would bring justice to marginalized communities that have been, still are, disproportionately affected by marijuana prohibition laws.

The amendment, if passed, would also channel tax revenue from legal marijuana sales into critical areas such as public education and law enforcement, a point both senators made.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who vehemently opposes the legalization measure said recently that the cannabis legalization initiative in Florida is the result of “one weed company,” the medical marijuana company Trulieve Cannabis Corp TCNNF, which he called a “de facto monopoly" and a "weed cartel."

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Money To Be Made

At a roundtable in mid-June week in Tampa, Safe & Smart quoted economists who estimate that legalizing marijuana could generate between $195 million and $431 million annually in sales tax revenue, providing a significant boost to the state's economy.

Florida isn't alone in this potential windfall—other states with legal marijuana are raking in around $20 billion in tax revenue, according to legalization advocates. However, this appears insufficient to sway DeSantis.

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Image generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.