Group That’s Been Backed By Elon Musk Donates $500,000 To Anti-Marijuana Legalization Effort In Florida
Here’s the introduction to the piece
A political committee opposing a Florida marijuana legalization ballot initiative has received a half-million-dollar contribution from an organization that Elon Musk reportedly used to quietly support Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. At the same time, the pro-legalization campaign has officially exceeded $100 million in total contributions.
The campaign finance news comes as a new poll again shows majority support for the cannabis measure—but not enough to meet a 60 percent requirement to pass the constitutional amendment.
Faithful & Strong Policies, Inc., a group run by Florida-based attorney Scott Wagner, made the $500,000 contribution to Keep Florida Clean, Inc. earlier this month, campaign filings show. Keep Florida Clean, which is led by DeSantis’s chief of staff James Uthmeier, is committed to defeating Amendment 3, the cannabis legalization measure, at the ballot.
While the donation pales in comparison to the more than $100 million dollars that the pro-legalization campaign Safe & Smart Florida has taken in this election cycle—primarily from the major marijuana company Trulieve—it nonetheless adds fuel to the opposition effort at a critical time, especially as the latest NBC 6 Florida poll raises questions about the initiative’s prospects of passage.
