Bipartisan Florida Senators Blast DeSantis Over Use Of Taxpayer And Opioid Settlement Dollars To Fund Anti-Marijuana Ads Ahead Of Legalization Vote [Video]

Bipartisan Florida senators are hitting back at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over the use of taxpayer dollars to fund anti-marijuana ads ahead of a vote on a legalization ballot initiative—with one Republican member saying state agencies “owe an explanation” if reports are true that millions were diverted from an opioid-related settlement account to promote the cannabis “propaganda.”

As DeSantis continues his crusade against the legalization measure—with multiple press conferences featuring law enforcement and state health officials railing against the reform—Sens. Jason Pizzo (D) and Joe Gruters (R) joined Florida attorney and marijuana reform advocate John Morgan on Friday to discuss the controversy over state-sanctioned ads that they say are designed to implicitly influence voters against supporting Amendment 3.

This comes days after State Circuit Court Judge Angela Dempsey dismissed a lawsuit from Pizzo challenging the constitutionality of the agencies’ cannabis ads. The senator argued on Friday that the “timing and content” of the PSAs strongly suggest they were politically motivated, violating statute.

While law enforcement officials …