Shelden Adelson vs Medical Marijuana In Florida: Amendment 2 Gets $1M Donation From Republican Casino Billionaire

Election Night 2016 is drawing near, and as September comes to an end, one casino billionaire is pulling out all the stops to prevent an effort to legalize medical marijuana from becoming law in Florida. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson recently donated $1 million to Florida’s “No on 2” campaign for the proposed Amendment 2, according to a new report.

Adelson's donation appeared on the group’s records filed Friday. The campaign is hoping to secure enough “no” votes to block Amendment 2.

The state already passed legislation allowing terminally ill people to use doctor prescribed cannabidiol, a compound found in marijuana that helps ease symptoms of pain without the intoxicating effects associated with pot. Amendment 2 would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to a broader group of people with debilitating health issues, including but not limited to cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The new measure would also allow parental consent for minors to be treated with medical marijuana.

This isn’t the first time Adelson has dug deep into his pockets to block Amendment 2 from passing into Florida state law. Back in 2014, when the bill first appeared on Florida’s ballot, Adelson donated $5.5 million to fund campaigns against the cause. Amendment 2 didn’t get the 60 percent of votes needed to legalize marijuana in 2014. However, a recent statewide poll conducted by Anzalone Liszt Research proved that more Floridians are still in favor of medical marijuana by 77 percent.

Adelson has a reputation for being a big spender for political projects he’s passionate about. The Republican Las Vegas Sands Corp. CEO and his wife, Miriam Adelson, have pledged around $45 million to aid Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, $20 million of which the billionaire donated to the Senate Leadership Fund, CNN reported.