The push to legalize recreational pot in Florida raised $540,000 last month

Almost all of the money came from one medical-marijuana firm.

click to enlarge The push to legalize recreational pot in Florida raised $540,000 last month
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A political committee seeking to pass a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida raised about $540,000 in cash and in-kind contributions in September, with almost all of the money coming from a medical-marijuana firm, according to a newly filed finance report.

Surterra Holdings, Inc. contributed $535,000 in cash to the committee Make It Legal Florida.

In all, the committee had raised $1.625 million in cash and $109,500 in in-kind contributions since the beginning of August, with $1.08 million of the cash coming from Surterra.

The committee is backing a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow people 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use “for any reason.”

To reach the November 2020 ballot, the committee would need to submit at least 766,200 valid petition signatures to the state by a February deadline and receive approval of the ballot wording from the Florida Supreme Court.

As of early Thursday evening, the state Division of Elections had tallied 304 valid signatures from the committee. But the committee also spent $973,361 in September on petition-gathering and expenses such as direct mail.

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