{"id":1549186,"date":"2022-07-11T17:34:47","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T21:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1549186"},"modified":"2022-07-11T17:34:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T21:34:50","slug":"its-lit-florida-dem-could-profit-from-legal-weed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-lit-florida-dem-could-profit-from-legal-weed\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Lit: Florida Dem Could Profit From Legal Weed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fits-lit-florida-dem-could-profit-from-legal-weed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1549186&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"article-category\"><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/\">Democrats<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-excerpt\">Gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried has promised to legalize marijuana<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-thumbnail-container relative lg:mr-24 w-full my-4 mb-8\"><figcaption class=\"absolute text-white p-4 w-full text-right text-xs bottom-0 bg-black opacity-75\">\n\t\t\t\tFlorida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried \/ Twitter\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t<span class=\"text-gray text-xs md:text-lg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/elizabeth-troutman\/\" title=\"Posts by Elizabeth Troutman\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Elizabeth Troutman<\/a> \u2022 July 11, 2022 5:30 pm<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The Florida Democrat who <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nikkifried\/status\/1516819922202112002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/nikkifried\/status\/1516819922202112002&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0ze4YFIdrLtZX3UgAXMAVX\">promised<\/a> to &#8220;legalize weed&#8221; if elected governor holds thousands of dollars of stake in a marijuana dispensary.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Florida commissioner of agriculture Nikki Fried holds more than $130,000 of stock in cannabis dispensary Harvest Health and Recreation Inc., according to her most recent financial <a href=\"http:\/\/public.ethics.state.fl.us\/Forms\/2020\/69154-Form6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/public.ethics.state.fl.us\/Forms\/2020\/69154-Form6.pdf&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1yi-c_KBmuarXMP8G11H-_\">disclosure<\/a>. The dispensary was acquired in October 2021 by Trulieve, the nation&#8217;s most profitable medical marijuana company, which sells cannabis in 117 locations in Florida. Fried confirmed her stake in the cannabis dispensary during a June 2021 interview, shortly after launching her gubernatorial campaign. At the time, Fried denied that her dispensary holdings posed a conflict of interest, since her office did not &#8220;regulate [the] marijuana space.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fried, a former medical marijuana lobbyist, has fought to advance marijuana interests throughout her career. Fried\u2019s pro-pot platform <a href=\"https:\/\/floridaphoenix.com\/2018\/11\/18\/democrat-nicole-nikki-fried-claims-historic-victory-in-commissioner-of-agriculture-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/floridaphoenix.com\/2018\/11\/18\/democrat-nicole-nikki-fried-claims-historic-victory-in-commissioner-of-agriculture-race\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3D3-9jZS-5FwVZNTuDMDp3\">helped<\/a> her win the agriculture commissioner&#8217;s seat in 2018. The following year, her office lobbied for a bill legalizing hemp, a cannabis plant stripped of the majority of its psychoactive component. Fried handed out nearly 800 hemp cultivation licenses, including at least one to a firm that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/florida-politics\/2022\/04\/20\/nikki-fried-wants-to-be-the-marijuana-governor-whats-her-track-record\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/florida-politics\/2022\/04\/20\/nikki-fried-wants-to-be-the-marijuana-governor-whats-her-track-record\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw10KLpPz9QbYQj7OmgS_kTO\">counted<\/a> her former fianc\u00e9e as an investor.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Florida legalized medical marijuana in 2015. Fried, who holds a medical marijuana card herself, championed the cause. She continues to advocate for legal recreational marijuana for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nikkifried\/status\/1377747772309393408?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/nikkifried\/status\/1377747772309393408?lang%3Den&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2s7Cnw4jthFf_4lUgg1hRX\">all adults<\/a>. Florida lawmakers have attempted a <a href=\"https:\/\/norml.org\/florida-marijuana-legalization-effort\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/norml.org\/florida-marijuana-legalization-effort\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3sKhaW2BRwDSV-E0ue3bFh\">variety of recreational marijuana legalization efforts<\/a>, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myfloridahouse.gov\/Sections\/Bills\/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=73931#:~:text=Legalization%20of%20Recreational%20Marijuana%3A%20Authorizes,localities%3B%20specifies%20that%20chapter%20does\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.myfloridahouse.gov\/Sections\/Bills\/billsdetail.aspx?BillId%3D7393&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3VfWBNi6lPKPM_LgliPJkl\">bill<\/a> proposed by state house Democrats to legalize recreational marijuana, which died in March. The state Supreme Court in 2021 rejected two proposed ballot amendments to the state constitution aimed at expanding marijuana access.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Gov. Ron DeSantis&#8217;s (R., Fla.) campaign spokeswoman Lindsey Curnutte said Fried is &#8220;pushing her own interests ahead of what\u2019s best for the people of Florida.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;This is a classic example of Democrat disingenuousness,&#8221; Curnutte told the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;It has nothing to do with freedom or democracy, but rather it&#8217;s all personal and political.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fried is vying for the Democratic nomination against former Florida governor Charlie Crist (D.), who shares her stance on marijuana legalization. Fried is <a href=\"http:\/\/stpetepolls.org\/files\/StPetePolls_2022_State_DEM_June17_K5TS8.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/stpetepolls.org\/files\/StPetePolls_2022_State_DEM_June17_K5TS8.pdf&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0kb4UYXHBcD6JD7FhmpE0p\">trailing Crist<\/a> by a large margin, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/stpetepolls.org\/files\/StPetePolls_2022_State_DEM_June17_K5TS8.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/stpetepolls.org\/files\/StPetePolls_2022_State_DEM_June17_K5TS8.pdf&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0kb4UYXHBcD6JD7FhmpE0p\">St. Pete Polls\u2019s latest survey<\/a>. Whichever candidate emerges from the Aug. 23 primary will face DeSantis in November. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2022\/governor\/fl\/florida_governor_desantis_vs_crist-7324.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2022\/governor\/fl\/florida_governor_desantis_vs_crist-7324.html&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw106a7gx6sRl3H2nBCtQ0h9\">Real Clear Politics<\/a> average of polls suggests DeSantis would prevail over either Democratic challenger.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This is not the first time Fried\u2019s business interests have gotten her in hot water. In 2021, the Florida Commission on Ethics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/political\/nikki-fried-reprimanded-by-florida-commission-on-ethics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/political\/nikki-fried-reprimanded-by-florida-commission-on-ethics&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1657657748170000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2G72HBIwegoKm_HrnT55Lz\">reprimanded<\/a> Fried for failing to disclose $400,000 in lobbying income.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fried is set to release her Fiscal Year 2021 financial disclosures by Sept. 1. Her campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats Gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried has promised to legalize marijuana  Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried \/ Twitter  Elizabeth Troutman \u2022 July 11, 2022 5:30<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":835,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1549186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1549186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/835"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1549186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1549186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1549186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1549186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1549186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}