The committee behind the failed push to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida employed a novel strategy of funding primarily conservative operatives to support its campaign, illustrating the deepening of ties between the conservative movement and the cannabis lobby.

Between January 2023 and October 2024, Smart & Safe Florida paid out roughly $130 million to GOP-aligned consulting and public relations firms to aid in its push to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida, according to a Washington Examiner analysis of campaign finance records. Smart & Safe Florida’s messaging strategy leaned into traditionally conservative motifs with its ads, featuring pro-marijuana statements from law enforcement, using veterans as spokespeople, making extensive use of the word “freedom,” criticizing other drugs such as fentanyl, and highlighting the pro-cannabis stances of some Republican politicians.