The campaign to legalize adult-use cannabis in Florida drew a lot of financial interest from both pro and con factions. Multi-state operator Trulieve sunk tens of millions alone into the initiative, hoping to secure its robust stake in the state’s marijuana market. Meanwhile, plenty of cash went to ensuring Amendment 3 would fail—which it ultimately did. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was a staunch opponent of the measure, and new findings show another potential reason why.
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As first reported in his Substack and shared by Cultivated, journalist Jason Garcia discovered that Philip Morris contributed $500,000 to the DeSantis fundraising committee bankrolling DeSantis’s anti-Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 efforts. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Garcia revealed the tangled web the two parties weaved, demonstrating a venerable tit-for-tat exchange.
Last fall, as Ron DeSantis was raising money to fight a ballot measures to legalize marijuana and end a statewide abortion ban, Florida’s governor turned to an odious source for help: Philip Morris, the Big Tobacco company best known as the maker of Marlboro cigarettes.
🧵…1/x
— Jason Garcia (@Jason_Garcia) March 24, 2025
The TLDR: DeSantis needed more money to help defeat voter initiatives that went against his election platform, like legalizing weed and guaranteeing abortion access, respectively. Meanwhile, Philip Morris needed to ensure its IQOS heated tobacco devices would not be subject to steep taxes on nicotine products.
Both parties got what they wanted. Amendment 3 and 4 failed to reach the 60 percent threshold of “yes” votes; earlier this month, the DeSantis administration declared IQOS devices are not technically cigarettes and, therefore, not subject to the state’s tobacco taxes.
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It’s an interesting deal, especially since Philip Morris has quietly invested millions into the cannabis space through its subsidiary, Vectura Fertin Pharma. However, the deals are primarily centered on the Canadian markets. The IQOS system, on the other hand, is a much bigger opportunity. According to Garcia, Philip Morris is lobbying lawmakers in several states for rulings similar to the one seen in Florida
DeSantis, for his part, likely had multiple factors motivating his stance on Amendment 3. The Republican raised questions after alleged backdoor deals with hemp operators likely hoping to deflect potential competition from legal marijuana dispensaries.
News of the Philip Morris-DeSantis deal is yet another example of the political sausage being made. Meanwhile, supporters of adult-use cannabis in the Sunshine State are hoping to re-engage voters with the goal of getting their measure across the finish line in 2026.
