Attorney John Morgan says Floridians deserve recreational marijuana

Once again, Florida voters will have the chance to approve or reject recreational marijuana in the state. A similar measure failed in November, receiving 56% of the vote — a majority but short of the 60% needed for passage.This time, the Smart and Safe Florida campaign is again working to get the initiative on the ballot, with its primary financial supporter, Trulieve, having already invested $20 million since the start of the year.”All the people in the industry are strong about it, they’ve got money now, so I think it will pass,” said attorney John Morgan. He discussed the new proposed amendment, which may appear on the 2026 ballot, with WESH 2 News.Morgan successfully funded and campaigned for the passage of medical marijuana in 2016. Currently, 912,000 patients receive cannabis as medication from nearly 2,400 licensed physicians in the industry.Under the ballot title “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana,” the 2026 measure would specifically prohibit marketing and packaging appealing to children and ban smoking and vaping in public, addressing two key concerns raised by opponents last year.The strongest opposition last time came from Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis through a committee run by his then-Chief of Staff and current Attorney General James Uthmeier, who now faces questions regarding the source of some funds used to fight the cannabis measure.The committee run by Uthmeier, “Keep Florida Clean,” received $5,752,382 from Save Our Society From Drugs, an arm of the Drug Free America Foundation, and $4,850,000 from Secure Florida’s Future, backed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. Both received a total of $10 million in grants from the Hope Florida Foundation, run by First Lady Casey DeSantis. These funds were allocated from a Medicaid settlement paid by Centene Corp. to the Foundation, whose mission is to help struggling families and individuals move off welfare.In response to inquiries from WESH 2 News about the payment to the Hope Florida Foundation, a spokesperson stated: “The allocation of funds detailed in the settlement document was directed by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and approved by the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Centene had no part in or knowledge of any decision by the Hope Florida Foundation regarding the subsequent use of any Foundation funds.”While DeSantis denies any wrongdoing and has criticized some within his own party for questioning the payments, Morgan believes DeSantis won’t be the biggest obstacle to passing recreational marijuana. He explained, “He’s not going to be on the ballot, but the bad side for it is to pass it, you have your best chances during presidential years. Election years. That’s what I did. When I lost medical marijuana the first time and regrouped, I said we need a bigger turnout because there’s just some people that don’t vote.”Trulieve and other cannabis companies faced criticism during the last campaign for allegedly creating a monopoly. However, the new amendment would separate the cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensing of cannabis into distinct licenses to foster competition among smaller companies.Morgan is considering a run for governor but is waiting to see which other candidates enter the race. “I want to see the other horses come out of the gate,” Morgan said.