Florida's abortion, recreational marijuana measures pulling in big cash donations

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Two controversial amendments that are slated to be on the November ballot have drawn donations to promote their causes.

Floridians Protecting Freedom is trying to pass what will appear as Amendment 4 on the November ballot. The other measure, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3, says, in part, that it would allow adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products.

Amendment 3: Marijuana amendment draws $11 million

A political committee leading efforts to pass a constitutional amendment to allow recreational use of marijuana raised $11 million from Aug. 16 through Aug. 23, with $10 million coming from the Trulieve cannabis company, according to a new finance report.

The Smart & Safe Florida political committee has raised a total of $82.62 million in cash since being formed in 2022, with more than $75 million coming from Trulieve. Also, Verano Holdings, LLC, another cannabis company, contributed $1 million to the committee on Aug. 20, bringing its total to $3.5 million, according to the finance report.

As of Aug. 23, the Smart & Safe committee had spent $56.9 million. The proposed amendment, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3, says, in part, that it would allow "adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise."

Voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment that allowed medical marijuana.

Amendment 4: Abortion measure nears $1 million

Floridians Protecting Freedom, a political committee spearheading a drive to pass a constitutional amendment on abortion rights, raised slightly more than $987,000 from Aug. 16 through Aug. 23, according to a newly filed finance report.

That included $700,000 from Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida. Since its formation last year, the committee has raised a total of $47.99 million and spent about $24.38 million as of Aug. 23.

Floridians Protecting Freedom is trying to pass what will appear as Amendment 4 on the November ballot. In part, the proposal says that no "law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."

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