Well done MM – must have touched a nerve!
Marijuana Moment
Ahead of announcing his support for the marijuana legalization initiative on Florida’s ballot this weekend, former President Donald Trump met with the CEO of a major cannabis company, as well as with a GOP state senator who is in favor of the reform.
Trump took some by surprise when he took a position on the state measure—which he’ll have the chance to vote on in November as a Florida resident. Before making his announcement on Saturday, he had a meetings with Florida Sen. Joe Gruters (R) and Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, according to the lawmaker and several other industry sources who confirmed the discussions to Marijuana Moment.
Trulieve has contributed over $70 million to the cannabis campaign Smart & Safe Florida behind Amendment 3.
“A lot of people were talking to him,” Gruters, who previously chaired the Florida Republican Party, told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Tuesday, adding that he and Trump had “follow-up conversations to talk about the amendment—what it does and and what I think it will do here in Florida—and the policy surrounding it, and politically, why I think it’s a winner.”
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Marijuana Moment made repeated attempts to reach Rivers, Trulieve and the Trump campaign for clarification. Rivers initially answered texts and calls but declined to comment on the specific matter of discussions with Trump. Other representatives of Trulieve similarly provided no clarification on the meeting.
After this article was published, a Trulieve spokesperson responded to Marijuana Moment’s queries by claiming that its headline is “misleading” and that the reporting unfairly focused on Rivers given that other industry stakeholders also allegedly communicated with Trump. “Singling her out here is not helpful, not verified, nor appreciated,” the spokesperson said.
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