You’ve probably seen them. “Marijuana is on the ballot. In Florida, Marijuana is already available, on the streets,” opens one of four ads that are promoting Amendment 3 and now airing on TV, radio and social media. They come from the political committee Smart and Safe Florida. The ads are aimed at getting you to vote “Yes” to approve recreational marijuana.Related: Ad blitz lights up marijuana campaign The longest ad continues, “Most Americans have access to legal marijuana that is regulated and tested for safety. But not Florida. Most Florida marijuana is illegal.” Let’s Get The Facts. Do “most Americans have access to legal marijuana?” That’s a fact! It’s legal in 24 states and DC, which have near three quarters of the U.S. population.Is most Florida marijuana illegal? That too is a fact! Let’s look at the data. According to the Economic and Demographic Research Office, in 2017 there were 2,321,550 marijuana users in Florida. Even if you subtract today’s 881,557 medical marijuana patients, most of whom began using cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2017, most users are buying illegally. And what about that illegal pot? The ad continues, “It’s produced using toxic chemicals and can be laced with dangerous drugs like fentanyl.” The “fentanyl-laced weed story has been smoldering for years, with headlines calling it myth and misinformation. But we’ll call that claim mostly true. Here’s why: While it is rare, WESH 2 News has brought you stories of drug busts in which police claimed some cannabis was laced with other drugs, including fentanyl.Generating billions? The ad continues, “Amendment 3 gives adults access to legal, safe marijuana, all while generating billions for better schools and safer communities.” That claim is playing it fast and loose with numbers and assumptions. For now we’ll call the claim of “generating billions” of dollars, misleading. We just don’t know. WESH 2 News talked with the chief economist of the Florida Legislature, Amy Baker, who has been saying this for five years, “We think the market itself could end up being a two billion dollar market,” she said in October 2019 But a two billion dollar sales market, according to the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference last July, will generate between $195-million and $431-million dollars a year. And the idea that tax revenue would be spent on schools and police? We’ll call that misleading as well. Only lawmakers can decide that. Just remember, back in the 1980s, the lottery was supposed to make our schools the best-funded in the nation. Three decades later, Florida is still among the lowest in per-pupil spending. Smart and Safe Florida will likely be spending tens of millions of dollars on ads, with most recent polls showing Amendment 3 so far doesn’t have enough support to pass.
You’ve probably seen them.
“Marijuana is on the ballot. In Florida, Marijuana is already available, on the streets,” opens one of four ads that are promoting Amendment 3 and now airing on TV, radio and social media. They come from the political committee Smart and Safe Florida.
The ads are aimed at getting you to vote “Yes” to approve recreational marijuana.
Related: Ad blitz lights up marijuana campaign
The longest ad continues, “Most Americans have access to legal marijuana that is regulated and tested for safety. But not Florida. Most Florida marijuana is illegal.”
Let’s Get The Facts.
Do “most Americans have access to legal marijuana?”
That’s a fact! It’s legal in 24 states and DC, which have near three quarters of the U.S. population.
Is most Florida marijuana illegal?
That too is a fact! Let’s look at the data.
According to the Economic and Demographic Research Office, in 2017 there were 2,321,550 marijuana users in Florida.
Even if you subtract today’s 881,557 medical marijuana patients, most of whom began using cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2017, most users are buying illegally.
And what about that illegal pot?
The ad continues, “It’s produced using toxic chemicals and can be laced with dangerous drugs like fentanyl.”
The “fentanyl-laced weed story has been smoldering for years, with headlines calling it myth and misinformation.
But we’ll call that claim mostly true. Here’s why: While it is rare, WESH 2 News has brought you stories of drug busts in which police claimed some cannabis was laced with other drugs, including fentanyl.
Generating billions?
The ad continues, “Amendment 3 gives adults access to legal, safe marijuana, all while generating billions for better schools and safer communities.”
That claim is playing it fast and loose with numbers and assumptions. For now we’ll call the claim of “generating billions” of dollars, misleading. We just don’t know.
WESH 2 News talked with the chief economist of the Florida Legislature, Amy Baker, who has been saying this for five years, “We think the market itself could end up being a two billion dollar market,” she said in October 2019
But a two billion dollar sales market, according to the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference last July, will generate between $195-million and $431-million dollars a year.
And the idea that tax revenue would be spent on schools and police?
We’ll call that misleading as well. Only lawmakers can decide that.
Just remember, back in the 1980s, the lottery was supposed to make our schools the best-funded in the nation. Three decades later, Florida is still among the lowest in per-pupil spending.
Smart and Safe Florida will likely be spending tens of millions of dollars on ads, with most recent polls showing Amendment 3 so far doesn’t have enough support to pass.
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