Watch CBS News

Florida marijuana firm sues GOP in amendment fight

Florida marijuana firm sues GOP in amendment fight
Florida marijuana firm sues GOP in amendment fight 00:28

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's largest medical marijuana company filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday accusing the state Republican Party of launching an "intentionally deceptive campaign" to mislead voters about a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the recreational use of marijuana.

With voting by mail already underway in the Nov. 5 election, the lawsuit filed by Trulieve, Inc. - which has spent nearly $93 million on the recreational marijuana initiative - also accused the owners of two Fort Myers-based television stations of running a "demonstrably false" ad "trying to fool Florida voters" into voting against what will appear on the ballot as Amendment 3.

"The GOP knew that the claims in the deceptive mailer and ad were false, intentionally deceptive, and duplicitous but published them anyway in order to trick Florida voters into voting against a ballot initiative that would legalize the recreational use of cannabis in Florida," the lawsuit said.

The TV ad features a gardener who sees a news broadcast saying that the amendment could "legalize recreational marijuana." The gardener rushes to start planting but is confronted by a "Big Weed" character that says, "Actually, we wrote the amendment, so we're the only ones that can grow it."

Amendment 3  

The inability of people to grow their own weed has become a major issue in efforts to defeat the proposal. Opponents of the marijuana measure, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, contend that the proposal will help the state's "monopoly" of licensed medical marijuana companies because it will allow them to begin selling recreational pot. The measure also would allow the Legislature to expand the number of operators.

"Amendment 3 cannot prohibit something that is already prohibited, and the plain text of Amendment 3 says nothing about the home cultivation of cannabis and does not change the current state of the law with respect to that issue," the lawsuit said.

Trulieve's lawyers argued that the "Big Weed" character "is reasonably understood" by Florida voters to be Trulieve, because the company is "the largest cannabis manufacturer in the state, and because prominent Florida Republicans have publicly claimed that Trulieve authored Amendment 3."

The "gist of the ad" is that Trulieve drafted the proposal to minimize competition, the lawsuit alleged.

According to the lawsuit, the Republican Party of Florida "paid the media defendants" to broadcast the "deceptive" television ad.

The challenge also focuses in part on mailers sent out by the Republican Party of Florida calling the marijuana proposal "a power grab by mega marijuana corporations, eliminating their competition and enshrining their monopoly advantage in the Constitution forever."

The mailer is false because the proposal would allow the Legislature to increase the number of marijuana operators in the state, the lawsuit alleged.

"In truth, Florida has a competitive market of 25 licensed" medical-marijuana operators, "in which no single company accounts for even half the market," lawyers for Quincy-based Trulieve wrote in the lawsuit filed in the 2nd Judicial Circuit. "And rather than eliminating competition, the ballot initiative would increase competition by allowing the state to authorize additional licenses to grow and sell cannabis."

In addition to the Republican Party of Florida, the lawsuit names as defendants Sun Broadcasting, Inc., which owns and operates the WXCW station, and Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, which owns and operates station WINK and is affiliated with Sun Broadcasting.

Trulieve is the main money source behind the ballot initiative, providing about $92.8 million of the nearly $101.4 million in cash and in-kind contributions made to the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is sponsoring the proposal.

State Republican Chairman Evan Power fired back Wednesday against the company.

"It is so funny that a company that puts almost $100 million into a political campaign is so sensitive about honest TV ads," Power said in a text message. "The proponents of Amendment 3 are trying to take down these ads that they know are truthful and are working. That is why they are using lawfare to try to silence us, but we will not be deterred in our efforts. If this huge, powerful corporation can't handle it, then they should go sit at the little kid's table."

The TV stations did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit, which was provided to The News Service of Florida and filed in Gadsden County.

Trulieve lawsuit

Trulieve has 151 dispensaries throughout Florida - almost double the number of any other medical marijuana operator. Trulieve sold nearly 38 percent of the total amount of smokable marijuana sold statewide during the week that ended Sept. 26, according to a report issued by the Florida Department of Health. The company sold about 30 percent of other products sold statewide, the report said.

Trulieve filed the lawsuit "to set the record straight, to vindicate its rights under civil law, to hold the defendants accountable for deceiving voters, and to recover compensatory and punitive damages," the lawsuit said.

Republican leaders in Florida largely have come out in opposition to the marijuana proposal.

DeSantis' chief of staff, James Uthmeier, is heading two political committees aimed at defeating Amendment 3 and Amendment 4, a measure seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. The DeSantis administration has used state resources to oppose both measures. As an example, the Florida Department of Transportation recently released public service announcements that say passage of the marijuana proposal could lead to more car crashes and higher auto insurance premiums.

The state Republican Party in May approved a resolution opposing Amendment 3, saying the proposal would endanger the state's "family-friendly business and tourism climates."

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election, is backing the measure, however.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday repeatedly said Florida has 25 licensed medical-marijuana companies and that state regulators have accepted applications for another 22 licenses.

Trulieve filed the lawsuit about a week after sending letters to the TV stations demanding that they pull down the ad.

"The GOP acted with actual malice, either knowingly or recklessly disregarding that the statements it published about Trulieve were false ... and - when specifically put on notice of the truth and asked to retract - refusing to retract, because the GOP intends to dupe Florida voters into voting against a ballot initiative that would legalize the recreational use of cannabis in Florida," the lawsuit said. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com