New Florida Marijuana Campaign Ad Shows Trump Endorsing Legalization Ballot Initiative

With weeks left before Election Day, the Florida campaign behind a marijuana legalization ballot initiative has released a pair of new ads, including one that features clips of former President Donald Trump endorsing the cannabis reform proposal—with a call for voters to “join” him in supporting the measure.

Smart & Safe Florida has been ramping up its advertising over the past few months, and it’s increasingly leaned into messaging about the bipartisan appeal of the legalization measure. To that end, the campaign has been eager to leverage the endorsement from Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential nominee and a Florida resident.

The latest ad—titled “Good”—shows Trump discussing his support for Amendment 3 during a podcast interview last month, where he said the reform is “going to be very good” for the state after it passes, as he expects will happen.

“It’s got to be a certain age [to purchase],” he said. “It’s got to be done in a very concerted, lawful way. And the way they’re doing it in Florida, I think is going to be actually good. It’s going to be very good, but it’s got to be done in a good way. It’s got to be done in a clean way.”

The campaign’s ad concludes: “Amendment 3 legalizes marijuana for adults. Safe, lab-tested and regulated— generating billions for schools and law enforcement. Join President Donald Trump. Vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 3.”

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The promotion comes just weeks after Smart & Safe Florida released another ad highlighting the fact that both major party presidential nominees—Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris—as well as their running mates share at least one thing in common: They don’t believe in criminalizing people over cannabis.

While the focus of the latest ad is on Trump’s endorsement of the Florida legalization proposal, it’s also airing as Harris amplifies her support for federal legalization, with a campaign pledge to end prohibition if she’s elected. She’s framed the reform as a means of helping to address racial disparities in the enforcement of cannabis criminalization.

The vice president also discussed cannabis policy during an interview on Tuesday, where she partly blamed bureaucratic hurdles at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for the delay in the administration’s plan to federally reschedule cannabis.

Meanwhile, the Florida campaign released another ad on Wednesday featuring state Sen. Joe Gruters (R), who’s endorsed the initiative. In that ad, the GOP senator and former chair of the Florida Republican Party said he’s “as MAGA as they come,” referencing his support for Trump.

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“Florida is the freest state in America, but we still have outdated marijuana laws obstructing that freedom,” he said. “Amendment 3 would give adults back that freedom and give Florida a chance to legalize marijuana responsibly. Florida is the only state that can do this right from the right. Vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 3.”

Grunters and Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) also recently teamed up to promote the state marijuana legalization initiative in another campaign ad. The bipartisan senators stood side-by-side, acknowledging that while they “don’t agree on much—hardly anything” and would be each voting for their respective party’s presidential nominee, they “do agree on this: Amendment 3 is good for Florida.”

Meanwhile, a political committee opposing the legalization measure has received a half-million-dollar contribution from an organization that Elon Musk reportedly used to quietly support Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. At the same time, the pro-legalization campaign has officially exceeded $100 million in total contributions.

DeSantis has been working to rally opposition to the initiative for months. And he’s more recently faced criticism—and a lawsuit against the state—over a taxpayer-funded public service announcement distributed by the Florida Department of Transportation that, at one point, claims states that enact legalization see higher rates of impaired driving.

The main corporate backer of the legalization initiative, the multi-state cannabis operator Trulieve, has filed a defamation suit against the state’s Republican Party, alleging it’s knowingly deceived voters about the proposed constitutional change known as Amendment 3.

Outside the presidential race, there’s been a mix of support and opposition for the Florida legalization amendment on both sides of the partisan spectrum.

For example, the former head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under then-President Bill Clinton recently urged Florida voters to reject the marijuana legalization initiative, arguing that it would create a “new addiction-for-profit industry” in the state.

Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party and a former state agriculture commissioner, recently endorsed Amendment 3. And the chair also laid out a framework for regulating cannabis that she thinks the legislature should enact if voters do approve the reform. That involves automatic expungements for prior marijuana convictions, taking steps to mitigate the risk of monopolization in the industry and directing tax revenue to Black communities and education.

Meanwhile, two congressional Republicans representing Florida also recently weighed in on the state’s marijuana legalization initiative—with Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) predicting it will fail and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) saying he remains undecided on the measure even after former President Donald Trump came out in support of it.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), for his part, has said he intends to vote against it, strictly because he feels the reform should be enacted statutorily, rather than as a constitutional amendment that would prove more challenging to amend.

On the other hand, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, predicted earlier this year that the measure will pass.

While polling has also consistently demonstrated that the ballot measure enjoys majority support from Democrats and Republicans alike—and despite the fact that Trump has endorsed it as well—Florida’s governor has not relented in his crusade to defeat it.

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers and Gruters, the GOP state senator, also met with Trump ahead of his endorsement of Amendment 3, as well as federal rescheduling and industry banking access.

Meanwhile, another recent survey from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which is against the cannabis initiative, found that 59 percent of likely voters in the state back Amendment 3.

A separate poll from the James Madison Institute (JMI) showed 64 percent of likely voters in Florida are in favor of the legalization proposal.

Smart & Safe Florida also rolled out another series of new ads last month—including one calling out the hypocrisy of criminalizing cannabis while alcohol is legally available and another featuring a county sheriff making the case for ending marijuana prohibition.

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