Drug Free Florida received another hefty donation to the tune of $25,000 during the month of August from Alfred Hoffman, Jr.
The donation was posted to the Florida Divisions of Elections Aug. 30 and is the latest large donation in a series of high-profile contributions to the campaign to block medical pot in Florida.
Drug Free Florida is working in opposition to Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment which would legalize medical marijuana in Florida. Medical marijuana would only be available to patients with “debilitating” medical conditions.
Hoffman has been one of the Republican Party’s top fundraisers over the years. He served as National Finance Co-Chair for the George W. Bush for President Campaign and as National Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee for 2001 and 2003-2004.
His donation comes on the heels of other large contributions from backers like Mel Sembler (who gave $1 million to Drug Free Florida) and Publix heiress Carol Jenkins, who donated $800,000 to the cause.
Meanwhile, People United for Medical Marijuana (United For Care), the main group supporting the amendment, raised $23,000 during the short, one-week fundraising period from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2.
Most of United For Care’s contributors made contributions less than $25, but the largest donation of $10,000 came from Enrique Yanabel of Pure Beauty Farms in Miami.
This is the second time medical marijuana has come up for a vote in Florida. The first attempt to happened in 2014, but the measure fell short of reaching the necessary 60 percent by just two points.
Backers of the amendment say it’s much-needed in the Sunshine State, where a limited number of patients are already receiving medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana would only be allowed for use for those with “debilitating” medical conditions which would include cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and for other conditions which a physician feels using medical marijuana would outweigh the potential health risks for a patient. Licensed physician would be the only ones who could prescribe the drug to patients.
Legislators passed the first legalization of medical marijuana two years ago in Tallahassee, green-lighting a low-dose of the drug called “Charlotte’s Web” for patients with epilepsy. Dispensaries started providing the drug to Floridians this summer and have since spread statewide.
Polling suggests medical marijuana is in a good position to pass in November. Many surveys have shown strong support for the constitutional amendment.
Just last week, Democrat-aligned Public Policy Polling (PPP) released a poll showing 70 percent of likely voters support Amendment 2 while only 23 percent said they oppose the measure. Democrats typically tend to favor passing the amendment more than Republicans, but more than half of Republicans said they were in favor of medical marijuana.
Some state Republicans have also hopped onboard with the proposal. Politico reported last week that Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, had announced his support of the amendment.
Turnout for this year’s election is likely to be much higher since it’s a presidential election year. If polls hold true, the amendment is highly likely to pass.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
