The Blubber

Spokesman Zia Ahmed stated that the constitutional amendment will be put to a vote in November and requires at least 60% approval to pass.

In a Miami Herald opinion piece published Friday, Griffin contended that the proposed amendment would create a monopoly for large marijuana dispensaries and permit cannabis use in both public and private spaces across Florida.

Alongside his opposition to marijuana legalization, Griffin is also contributing $8 million to committees supporting Republican candidates for the Florida legislature, Ahmed added.

The Citadel and Citadel Securities founder, who moved from Chicago to Miami in 2022, has been using his $42 billion fortune to impact Florida’s political scene and support charitable causes.

Earlier this year, he criticized a proposed casino expansion in South Florida, comparing it to “dumping toxic waste into the Everglades.” The proposal was subsequently shelved. Last year, he played a significant role in moderating a bill that sought to restrict real estate purchases by Chinese nationals before it was passed. In June, he donated $500,000 to support the reelection campaign of Miami-Dade County’s Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava.

“I have witnessed the consequences of misguided policies in other states—destroying jobs, increasing crime, harming schools, and hurting communities,” Griffin told Bloomberg News. “I am dedicated to backing policies that will make Florida the best place to live, work, and raise a family in America.”

In his opinion piece, Griffin argued that legalizing recreational marijuana would primarily benefit special interests and lead to more “dangerous roads, a higher risk of addiction among youth, and an increase in crime.”

So far, Florida’s referendum on marijuana legalization, known as Amendment 3, has attracted more funding than any other U.S. ballot measure this year, according to OpenSecrets, a non-partisan campaign finance group.

The political committee Safe & Smart, which supports legalization, has raised $66.7 million, according to Florida finance disclosures.

A recent University of North Florida poll showed that 64% of Floridians support legalization. However, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has received political donations from Griffin, has strongly opposed the measure, warning that it could lead to increased marijuana use similar to that seen in cities like San Francisco and Chicago.

“We cannot have every town smelling like marijuana. We cannot have every hotel and theme park smelling,” DeSantis said in June. “It’s going to be everywhere.”