Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jun 2014
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2014 The Associated Press
Contact: http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/press/letterstoeditor.html
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Gary Fineout, The Associated Press
Page: 2D

ADELSON FUNDS GROUP FIGHTING FLORIDA MEDICAL POT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has 
decided to roll into a political battle over whether Florida should 
legalize medical marijuana.

New campaign finance reports filed Tuesday show that the billionaire 
casino magnate is helping the group that wants to defeat the 
constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot.

Adelson, a high-profile Republican donor and CEO of Las Vegas Sands 
Corp., wrote a single check for $2.5 million to the political 
committee trying to defeat Amendment 2. It represents nearly all of 
the $2.7 million raised so far by the Drug Free Florida Committee.

Adelson and his company have been trying to expand casino gambling in 
Florida only to run into opposition in the Florida Legislature. 
Legislative leaders and other top Republicans in Florida are opposed 
to the medical marijuana amendment even though polls have 
consistently shown a majority of voters support the measure. 
Adelson's wife is a physician who helped found drug-abuse treatment centers.

A spokeswoman for the Drug Free Florida Committee said she could not 
say why Adelson is donating to the group.

But Sarah Bascom did contend that opponents "vow to keep raising 
money so that we can continue to ask the hard questions of the 
amendment's supporters and inform Florida voters on the real issues 
behind Amendment 2."

Bascom's group maintains that the medical marijuana measure has a 
loophole that will allow people to obtain marijuana for nearly any 
reason. Supporters say that is not true, and note the Florida Supreme 
Court rejected a similar argument made by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United for Care, labeled Adelson an 
"out of state gambling interest." Pollara said many of the organizers 
opposing the amendment are not "credible people" to argue that 
"medical marijuana is bad for the people of the state of Florida."

The group pushing the amendment has been largely backed by trial 
attorney John Morgan. Former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running 
against incumbent Gov. Rick Scott, works at Morgan's firm.

Pollara did acknowledge that Adelson's financial support was 
unexpected, but he remained confident that Floridians would continue 
to support the amendment.

Sixty percent of voters need to vote yes on the amendment for it to pass.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom