Florida voters are gearing up for a busy election season, with adult-use cannabis on a presidential ballot. Pro-weed advocates have faced an uphill battle, but recent polls suggest the initiative may have the support it needs to pass. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been a vocal critic of the cannabis legalization effort. But according to a new report, he has seemingly aligned himself with local hemp operators to further his own political goals.
The Republican leader recently voted a bill that would have put strict regulations on hemp-derived products such as THCA and delta-8. DeSantis apparently acknowledged that he was motivated to pit the hemp and cannabis communities against one another, something currently playing out on the national level as Congressional leaders debate the Farm Bill.
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But that’s not the only reason DeSantis decided to act. According to WhatsApp messages obtained by CBS, hemp executives pledged to donate $5 million to the Republican Party of Florida as long as the governor kept his promise to veto. It’s unclear how the $5 million in donations would be spent, but Save Florida Hemp members hope the money will support anti-legalization efforts.
“We know nothing in life is free and neither was this veto,” read an introductory message in the WhatsApp thread known as Save Florida Hemp.
Subsequent messages suggest the group has donated $2 million to the Florida GOP so far. The thread also discusses meetings with Evan Power, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, and Bill Helmich, the party’s executive director. Both men are registered lobbyists for Florida’s hemp industry.
In an interview with CBS, Florida hemp distributor and Save Florida Hemp member Ernie Ciaccio dismissed the idea of any unethical conduct.
“They [critics] want to talk about quid pro quo,” Ciaccio said. “Look, that’s not what this is. What this is, is a governor who fought for small business, who said clearly when he issued the veto that he didn’t like the legislation because it was going to hurt small business. And this is small business stepping up to the plate and supporting that governor against an initiative that not only he feels is wrong, but we as an industry feel is wrong.”
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A statement from the Governor’s Office also denied any wrongdoing.
“Governor DeSantis vetoed SB 1698 because the bill would impose debilitating regulatory burdens on small businesses,” a spokesman told CBS.
The fight between hemp and cannabis operators has heated up, particularly in prohibition states where hemp-derived cannabinoids are the only option. Hemp company owners believe adult-use cannabis would undercut their business, while cannabis leaders say the hemp market has an unfair advantage due to a lack of regulation and taxation.
As the cannabis legalization fight rages on in Florida, the contention between local hemp operators and legal marijuana businesses will only get more intense. But with support for Amendment 3 currently above the 60 percent threshold required for passage, the fight may be a moot point.
