Florida is utilizing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in settlement cash from opioid producers and distributors to bankroll Governor Ron DeSantis‘s ongoing anti-cannabis marketing campaign, in line with state information. State regulation stipulates the opioid settlement belief fund is supposed to “abate the opioid epidemic” and supply sources for affected communities.
Nonetheless, the state Division of Kids and Households, reported the Tampa Bay Instances on Friday, spent $4 million to pay a advertising and marketing company for an “promoting marketing campaign geared toward educating Floridian households and youth concerning the risks of marijuana, opioid, and drug use,” elevating questions on misusing sources earmarked for the opioid disaster.
The outlet famous that the division didn’t reply to questions on what that marketing campaign consists of, although in latest weeks it has launched two adverts warning concerning the risks of marijuana use amongst youngsters, linking hashish use to schizophrenia and different psychological sicknesses.
One menacing advert says that marijuana now could be “engineered by companies all for one function: to rewire the human thoughts.”
Misuse Of Funds
Funds from the opioid settlement have been secured by way of lawsuits in opposition to pharmaceutical corporations and distributors, resembling Purdue Pharma, which was chargeable for fueling the opioid epidemic that killed lots of of 1000’s of People, many from overdoses linked to Purdue’s OxyContin.
Learn Additionally: DeSantis Battles Former Allies Donald Trump, Jeff Roe Over Florida’s Hashish Legalization Push
Bipartisan Group Speaks Out
A gaggle of bipartisan officers and public well being consultants voiced considerations over what they stated was a misuse of public cash by the DeSantis administration to undermine the hashish legalization initiative, referred to as Modification 3, however largely noting that such a marketing campaign doesn’t align with the first function of the opioid settlement. Over the subsequent 20 years, Florida is anticipated obtain about $3 billion in cash from lawsuits.
“Below no circumstance ought to the state authorities have the ability to resolve, with out enter from the legislature, that $50 million owed to the taxpayers will likely be spent on a political agenda,” stated lawyer John Morgan in a press convention Friday together with State Senators Joe Gruters (R) and Jason Pizzo (D).
Different Tax-Payer Funded Advertisements
A tax-payer-funded advert in September sparked outrage when the Division of Transportation (DOT) equated hashish with DUI crashes, saying that legalized marijuana is “placing everybody in danger.”
One other in mid-October shocked many Floridians when the DOT got here out with advert during which three sheriffs make varied claims concerning the harms of hashish, together with one who steered that marijuana use is related to a better threat of home violence.
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