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Next month Floridians will decide if they want to legalize recreational marijuana. So far, 24 states plus D.C. have legalized it for recreational use. Will Florida be the 25th? No other state's campaign has spent this much on the push. Yvonne zum Tobel has this report.
YVONNE ZUM TOBEL, BYLINE: I'm in Hollywood, Florida, at a marijuana conference put on by Cannabis LAB, an industry association focused on advocacy and education. A DJ plays high-energy music while a young woman struts around in white thigh-high boots. A cannabis leaf adorns the pocket of her outfit. There are around 200 people here, plus a variety of exhibitors like lawyers and accountants, and they all have one thing in common - they want Amendment 3 to pass.
TODD FRIEDMAN: I think it's really good for business.
ZUM TOBEL: Todd Friedman works for DAG, a company that builds indoor farms for lettuce and marijuana. He says if this amendment passes, it could mean more business for him and more jobs for Florida.
FRIEDMAN: We hire engineers. We hire, you know, companies that pour concrete, electrical, plumbing. So there's industries that are being built for the good of this.
ZUM TOBEL: But in order for it to pass, 60% of Florida voters need to vote yes. Polls are mixed. And from the looks of it, it's going to be close.
JAKE HOFFMAN: I was brought on this campaign to get Republican support.
ZUM TOBEL: That's Jake Hoffman. He's the policy director for Smart & Safe Florida, the committee behind the amendment.
HOFFMAN: A lot of the national conversation hinges on this election. And we had Donald Trump come out and say that he is for this amendment. We're going to have an effect on that conversation up in D.C.
ZUM TOBEL: If approved, Florida would be the first state in the South to legalize recreational use. Smart & Safe Florida has raised over $100 million Their biggest donor - Trulieve, the state's largest medical marijuana operator. They've contributed over $92 million to the campaign.
JESSICA SPENCER: Not to mention that it actually is the most expensive legalization initiative to date in the history of the United States.
ZUM TOBEL: That's Jessica Spencer, director of advocacy for Florida's Vote No On 3 campaign.
SPENCER: This is not about personal freedom. This is about the mega marijuana industry.
ZUM TOBEL: She urges Florida voters to read the entire amendment before making a decision.
SPENCER: You know, you also have people that are thinking, well, if marijuana is legalized for recreational purposes, as in other states, I'll be able to grow my own plants. You don't spend over $100 million to create a backyard consumer. You spend over $100 million to create a consumer for you.
ZUM TOBEL: Spencer thinks the amendment is too broad and there are a lot of uncertainties - like public smoking, DUIs and how we'll spend the tax revenues. She's worried that increased access and availability will affect young adults negatively. This week, the Florida chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics announced that it opposes the amendment for safety reasons. Spencer says it will be a challenge for the Florida legislature to get this right.
Florida Democratic Senator Lori Berman, a keynote speaker at the conference, supports the amendment.
LORI BERMAN: I think the amendment has to be worded in such a way that there's leeway and that there's give and take for the legislature to be able to do what they want to do. I mean, we'll certainly look at all the other states, but I don't think anybody's figured it out yet. I mean, like I said, Colorado was one of the first. I visit there often, and I don't think they have it figured out yet. It's all going to be a work in progress.
ZUM TOBEL: Recreational marijuana could generate sales tax revenue up to $431 million a year here. But where will that money go? That remains to be seen. For NPR News, I'm Yvonne zum Tobel in Hollywood, Florida.
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