Supporters of Florida constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational cannabis raise millions

Abortion rights amendment

A political committee leading efforts to pass a constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights raised nearly $11.8 million from April 1 through May 31.

The Floridians Protecting Freedom committee brought in $11,796,620 in cash after the Florida Supreme Court on April 1 approved placing the proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot, according to a finance report posted Monday on the state Division of Elections website.

Contributions included $2.8 million from the San Francisco-based Tides Foundation; $1 million from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida; $1 million from the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Advocacy Action Fund, Inc.; $1 million from the Washington, D.C.-based Open Society Action Fund; $1 million from the Washington, D.C.-based Sixteen Thirty Fund; and $1 million from The Fairness Project, based in Washington, D.C.

Floridians Protecting Freedom had about $7.37 million in cash on hand as of May 31, the finance report shows.

The proposal will appear as Amendment 4 on the November ballot and says, in part, that no “law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Marijuana amendment

An effort to pass a proposed constitutional amendment to allow recreational use of marijuana brought in more than $5.22 million from April 1 through May 31.

The Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is leading the campaign to pass the measure, raised $5.226 million during the period, according to a finance report posted Monday on the state Division of Elections website.

Most of the money, $5 million, came from Trulieve, the largest medical marijuana company in the state.

The Smart & Safe Florida committee had about $13.59 million in cash on hand as of May 31.

The proposed constitutional amendment, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3, says, in part, that it would allow “adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”