Trulieve Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Florida GOP Over Cannabis Legalization Ads

LOS ANGELES- Trulieve, Florida’s largest medical cannabis operator, filed a defamation lawsuit against the Republican Party of Florida on Wednesday, accusing the party of spreading misleading advertisements about Amendment 3. The amendment, which will appear on the ballot in November, seeks to legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and older.

The lawsuit claims that a TV ad campaign falsely portrays Amendment 3 as a mechanism to create a monopoly for large cannabis companies like Trulieve. The ads allegedly mislead voters into believing that only large corporations would benefit from the legalization of recreational cannabis. Trulieve argues that these claims are deceptive and that the amendment would allow for increased competition by potentially expanding licenses to more operators.

The Florida Republican Party defends its ads, stating they accurately represent the impact of the amendment, which they believe favors large cannabis businesses at the expense of smaller players. The party’s chairman, Evan Power, criticized Trulieve’s lawsuit as an attempt to silence legitimate criticism.

Trulieve, a significant financial backer of the campaign for Amendment 3, has donated nearly $93 million to the initiative, raising concerns among critics about corporate influence in the legalization effort. The outcome of the legal battle and the vote on Amendment 3 could shape the future of cannabis regulation in Florida, with a 60% approval threshold required for the amendment to pass.