A Florida judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Trulieve Cannabis against the state Republican Party during the company’s failed push to legalize adult-use marijuana in the Sunshine State.
Tallahassee-headquartered Trulieve, which bills itself as the world’s largest cannabis retailer, spent more than $144.5 million on the Amendment 3 campaign last fall.
Though nearly 56% of voters supported legalization, state law requires 60% support to pass a constitutional amendment.
The Smart & Safe Campaign enjoyed an endorsement from Donald Trump, but it was up against strong opposition from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Republican Party.
It was the state GOP as well as two television stations that ran “deceptive campaigns” intended “to fool Florida voters” into voting against legal marijuana, Trulieve alleged in a lawsuit filed in October.
As Politico Pro reported, Gadsden County Circuit Court Judge Ronald W. Flury granted state Republicans’ motion to dismiss the suit – and with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
The ads included a claim that Trulieve had written Amendment 3 to “double down on a longstanding ban on growing pot at home and create a monopoly on the adult-use market,” Politico reported.
That echoed critiques from cannabis advocates, who pointed out that as written, Amendment 3 gave first-mover status to existing medical-marijuana treatment center (MMTC) license-holders – and did not guarantee new entrants into the market.
In a statement, the Florida GOP celebrated the ruling, calling it an “embarrassing loss for Big Weed.”
In the meantime, a rematch appears to be brewing: on January 14, the Smart & Safe Florida campaign filed a petition to place another legalization measure on the November 2026 ballot.
Trulieve operates 160 dispensaries in Florida and a 750,000-square foot cultivation operation, it noted during quarterly filings.
