“GONE TO POT” FLORIDA TV ADS ABOUT AMENDMENT THREE NOT TELLING THE TRUTH

Deerfield News.com -Deerfield Beach, Fl-Recent TV ads put out by various PAC’s supported by Governor DeSantis are just flat-out lying. Amendment three would not create a monopoly. Amendment Three would allow for marijuana to be sold to consumers for recreational use. Florida already has Medical Marijuana the current 22 license holders are an “Oligopoly”. The state may have the most successful Medical Marijuana program in the country. If Amendment 3 passes or not the oligopoly has already been created and exists. Now we can debate whether these 22 which will be increased to 44 license holders which the state of Florida has sanctioned would control and should control the Florida market.

We can debate if 44 companies which would still be an “Oligopoly” that would control the seed-to-sale vertically integrated system Florida is currently using for Medical Marijuana is enough. Or do we want hundreds if not thousands of licensees as other states have opted for? The sheer number of marijuana growers and sellers some states have and the home allowance to grow for personal use or resale is where other states have their issues and problems.

I am not anti-competition or advocating that 44 companies should control the entire state marketplace, but whether or not Amendment 3 passes that is the reality of where the marijuana industry is in Florida. Medical cannabis in Florida has rules to where it can be used the same as Amendment Three does. So the talk about the smell of pot everywhere is a Red Herring a non-issue.

That said the government can not stop folks from using marijuana. So the question becomes do we just want to allow the weed to be sold through state-licensed facilities that test and have government oversight or allow the black market to continue to flourish? I also believe the black market would survive with Amendment 3 passing.

Below are the current Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers licensed by Florida.

Of the current license holders, there are nine MMTC’s operating in Deerfield Beach.