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During his failed presidential run, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lost the support of some of his best friends due to his feud with The Walt Disney Company. Among those who abandoned the governor was DeSantis megadonor Ken Griffin.
Credit: Inside the Magic
Related: The DeSantis/Disney Feud is Back With Its Next Stage
In 2022, Griffin gave Governor Desantis $5 million for his re-election campaign, but after the fight erupted with Disney, Griffin told CNBC that he thought it was “pointless,” and he pulled the plug on the financing.
However, Griffin did not open his wallet for former president Donald Trump; instead, he chose to sit out for the Republican presidential primary.
However, now that Griffin and DeSantis are back together in Florida, they seem to have a familiar foe, and the DeSantis megadonor has opened his wallet to ensure this new enemy is defeated.
Griffin has pledged $12 million to ensure Amendment 3 fails this November. Amendment 3 would legalize the sale and consumption of marijuana for recreational use in Florida.
Credit: Inside the Magic
Related: The Supreme Court Sides With DeSantis in Punishing Disney Cast Members
In an Op-Ed in the Miami Herald, Griffin says that Amendment 3 is:
A terrible plan to create the nation’s most expansive and destructive marijuana laws. Passage of Amendment 3 would create a monopoly for large marijuana dispensaries and permit pot use in public and private areas throughout Florida.
That will help no one other than special interests— and it will hurt us all, especially through more dangerous roads, a higher risk of addiction among our youth, and an increase in crime.
Advocates for the legalization of recreational marijuana say that 90 percent of the weed seized by authorities in the Sunshine State is laced with some type of additive. The argument is that people are smoking weed anyway; why not make it safe for them?
While Griffin, the CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, is putting his own money into keeping people from smoking weed at Disney World, the opposing side has millions of its own money to spend and massive support throughout the state.
Hemp execs in Florida asked the governor to veto a bill affecting their industry – and then say: "We have to pay $5 million to keep our end of the veto.”
How is such a thing legal?
A guide to political payoffs in Florida: "Donations for Dummies" https://t.co/u4BzvLNqhA— Scott Maxwell (@Scott_Maxwell) July 19, 2024
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Smart & Safe Florida has already raised $66 million to pass the legislation, and the effort got an odd boost this week when Trump said he agreed with legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.
Under current Florida law, it is a crime to possess and use marijuana. The punishment is anywhere from a fine to 15 years in prison, depending on the amount you have. So, if you spark up at Disney World, you will be doing time.
This ongoing battle to legalize marijuana in the state will come to a head later this year when the people of Florida head to the polls. It is just one more thing that the people will have to focus on this election cycle.
Would you want weed legalized for your next trip to Walt Disney World?
