Florida AG Says Adult-Use Legalization Campaign is Actually a Trulieve Monopoly Push

MIAMI–A campaign advocating the legalization of cannabis in Florida, sponsored chiefly by Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a notable multistate operator, has come under the scrutiny of the state attorney general, who alleges that it disguises a larger ambition: to tighten Trulieve’s grip on the cannabis market, creating what she terms a “monopolistic stranglehold.”

The initiative, known as the Smart & Safe Florida campaign, has garnered significant financial backing from Trulieve, injecting nearly $40 million into the endeavor aimed at ushering adult-use legalization onto the ballot for November 2024.

Notably, this audacious bid faces formidable opposition from anti-drug advocates, the state Chamber of Commerce, and Attorney General Ashley Moody. These opponents are collectively seeking intervention from the state Supreme Court to categorize the proposed ballot measure as unconstitutional.

Earlier this season, the campaign successfully submitted over 900,000 signatures from registered voters, a quantity more than sufficient to qualify the measure. Despite this, critics have risen to challenge the initiative, asserting that it encompasses a multitude of issues while potentially befuddling voters.

According to insights gleaned from Miami TV station WFOR, State Solicitor General Henry Whitaker articulated his stance in court filings, claiming that the “carefully curated ballot summary misleads in ways that, though sometimes subtle, are likely to influence voters – and to do so in a way that entrenches the sponsor’s monopolistic stranglehold on the cannabis market to the detriment of Floridians.”

Furthermore, Whitaker underscored that Trulieve’s pursuits have invited millions of Floridians to partake in “reckless violation of federal criminal law.”

His pronouncement culminated in a decisive assertion: “The initiative should be stricken.”

Central to the debate is the provision that only pre-existing medical cannabis operators would be eligible to participate in the emerging adult-use market, unless the state Legislature opts to amend the current regulatory framework, allowing for the issuance of additional licenses.

In response, both Trulieve and the Smart & Safe campaign have vigorously contested these allegations, characterizing the ballot language as “strict and conservative” and, importantly, “easy-to-understand.”

Trulieve, a major player in the Florida cannabis landscape, manages around one-quarter of the state’s 475 medical cannabis dispensaries, a figure reported by MJBizDaily in September of the previous year. This ongoing legal tussle underscores the intricate interplay between commercial interests, regulatory considerations, and public sentiment, shaping the future of cannabis in the Sunshine State.