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 keeping 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 Youngsters and Households, reported the Tampa Bay Instances on Friday, spent $4 million to pay a advertising and marketing company for an “promoting marketing campaign aimed toward educating Floridian households and youth in regards to 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 current weeks it has launched two advertisements warning in regards to the risks of marijuana use amongst youngsters, linking hashish use to schizophrenia and different psychological sicknesses.
One menacing advert says that marijuana now’s “engineered by firms all for one objective: to rewire the human thoughts.”
Misuse Of Funds
Funds from the opioid settlement have been secured via lawsuits towards pharmaceutical corporations and distributors, akin to Purdue Pharma, which was chargeable for fueling the opioid epidemic that killed a whole bunch of 1000’s of People, many from overdoses related 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 bunch of bipartisan officers and public well being specialists voiced issues over what they mentioned was a misuse of public cash by the DeSantis administration to undermine the hashish legalization initiative, often known as Modification 3, however largely noting that such a marketing campaign doesn’t align with the first objective of the opioid settlement. Over the subsequent 20 years, Florida is anticipated obtain about $3 billion in cash from lawsuits.
“Beneath no circumstance ought to the state authorities have the ability to determine, with out enter from the legislature, that $50 million owed to the taxpayers might be spent on a political agenda,” mentioned lawyer John Morgan in a press convention Friday together with State Senators Joe Gruters (R) and Jason Pizzo (D).
Different Tax-Payer Funded Adverts
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 surprised many Floridians when the DOT got here out with advert by which three sheriffs make numerous claims in regards to the harms of hashish, together with one who urged that marijuana use is related to a larger danger of home violence.
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