Nearly $1.1 Million Flows In For Florida Marijuana Effort

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - A political committee trying to put a proposal on the 2020 ballot to legalize recreational marijuana received nearly $1.1 million in October, with almost all of the money coming from two companies.

The committee Make It Legal Florida received $1,084,945 in cash and in-kind contributions, with $544,000 coming from Surterra Holdings Inc. and $540,000 from MM Enterprises USA, LLC. Both companies are in the medical marijuana business, with Surterra announcing recently that it is operating under the name Parallel, and MM Enterprises operating under the name MedMen.

Make It Legal Florida reported spending $1.625 million in October, with most of the money going to petition gathering and related expenses, the finance report shows.

The committee is seeking to pass a constitutional amendment in November 2020 that would allow adults 21 or older to "possess, use, purchase, display, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and marijuana accessories for personal use for any reason."

It would need to submit 766,200 signatures by a February deadline to get on the ballot. As of early Tuesday afternoon, the state Division of Elections had tallied 71,789 signatures for the initiative. The ballot wording also would need approval from the Florida Supreme Court.

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