Adam JacksonFlorida’s hemp industry reportedly pledged $5 million in donations to the Republican Party of Florida following Gov. Ron DeSantis’s veto of a bill that would have put a lid on the state market’s intoxicating offerings.
According to CBS News Miami, WhatsApp messages from a group called “Save Florida Hemp” showed industry executives discussing the donations. The group, which includes major labs, hemp manufacturers, and small shops, framed the contributions as support for DeSantis’s stance against a recreational marijuana ballot initiative.
“We know nothing in life is free and neither was this veto,” read one message in the group, according to CBS News Miami. The message was posted on June 27, just a few weeks after DeSantis vetoed the proposal.
Ernie Ciaccio, an owner of Florida hemp distributor Honest PP&D, told the CBS outlet that he hopes the group will raise more than $5 million for the Republican Party of Florida.
“This is small business stepping up to the plate and supporting that governor against an initiative that not only he feels is wrong, but we as an industry feel is wrong,” Ciaccio said.
The report also shows that recent messages claim the group has already contributed more than $2 million to the Republican Party of Florida. Contributions reportedly range from $500 to $250,000, with large operators such as Arvida Labs coming in on the high end of the range.
The governor’s office has denied any quid pro quo arrangement. A spokesman for DeSantis told CBS that the suggestion of a deal regarding the veto is “false,” stating that the bill was vetoed because it “would impose debilitating regulatory burdens on small businesses.”
Tension between the hemp industry and supporters of recreational marijuana legalization in Florida has persisted in the state for some time. Hemp executives argue that legalization would disadvantage their businesses, which are limited to selling products with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, the most common and recognizable intoxicating component of cannabis.
At the same time, hemp businesses have been pushing other intoxicating products such as decarboxylated THCa, which this year reached parity with average cannabis wholesale prices.
CBS News Miami reported that hemp industry lobbyists in the state include Evan Power, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, and Bill Helmich, the party’s executive director.
