September 29, 2014

Who Is Donating To Marijuana Reform Efforts In Alaska, Oregon, And Florida?

September 29, 2014
marijuana election 2014

marijuana election 2014Election Day 2014 is right around the corner. There are three statewide marijuana reform initiatives on the ballot. Voters will see recreational marijuana legalization in Alaska and Oregon and medical marijuana legalization in Florida. I read a great article on Marijuana Business Daily that broke down some campaign contributions in those states. The article listed the following as significant donations to the Florida campaign:

Harborside Health Center – which runs two wildly successful dispensaries in California – gave $30,000 between April and August.
Emerald Coast Compassionate Care, in Gulf Breeze, Florida, gave $20,000 to the campaign between June and September.
The Cannabis Career Institute of North Hollywood, California, gave $1,125 in March.
FTC Apothecary in Altamonte Springs, Florida, donated $10,000.
Ernie Blackmon, a longtime Denver-based cannabis grower, donated $10,000 to People United.
The Ghost Group, a marijuana technology firm based in Las Vegas, donated $20,000 between April and July.
Sewer contractors Midas Flow Controls, of Houston, gave $15,000 in August.
Future Dreams, a real estate firm in North Carolina, donated $15,000.
Baltimore investment company RGY Holdings LLC gave $10,000 in August.

Of course, the largest donations have come from John Morgan, an attorney based out of Florida. The opposition in Florida received it’s largest donation from conservative funder Sheldon Adelson. Things are quite different in Oregon, where most of the large donation came from the Drug Policy Alliance, or were coordinated by them. Below are significant donations per the Marijuana Business Daily article:

Oregrown Industries Inc., of Bend, Oregon, gave the Measure 91 campaign $20,000 between July and August.
Joseph Hopkins, president of The Greener Side dispensary in Springfield, Oregon, gave $1,000 in May and his company donated $290 in June.
Evergreen Garden Supply, of Portland, threw in $5,000 in August.
Sweet Relief Natural Medicine, of Astoria, donated $3,000 in July.
Sean Luse, an executive with Berkeley Patients Group in California donated $20,000 in July and August.
Massachusetts investor Rene Ruiz gave the campaign $10,000 in August.
Kansas-based financial consultant Patrick Leonard gave $5,000 last year to the campaign.

Alaska has received the least donations so far, mostly coming from the Marijuana Policy Project. Alaska has had a lot of lack luster polling too, which could be part of the problem with bringing in donations. Washington D.C. is also voting on recreational marijuana legalization. Last I saw on Twitter Leafly was talking about making a large donation to that campaign, but I haven’t seen it become official yet.

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