Where is all that campaign cash coming from?
In key legalization battleground states like Massachusetts and California, legalization opponents have claimed that out-of-state donations are funding cannabis campaigns.
Is it a fair claim?
To find out, we made a dive into a number of state campaign finance databases.
The short answer: It depends on the state. In most cases—California, Florida, and Nevada—a majority of money donated in favor of legalization has come from in-state sources. In Massachusetts, though, it’s a different story. In the Bay State, most advocacy money has come from out-of-state sources, and most opposition cash has come from within the state.
Here’s a state-by-state breakdown in some of the most important races.
California
In California, since 2015 the committees and PACs in support of cannabis legalization have reported a total of $27,942,132 in 644 donations. When looking at just in-state donations, Californians have generated $15,990,697.40 in 477 donations, making up around 57 percent.
For the opposition, it’s a different story. In-state money makes up only 16 percent of the total donations reported by legalization opponents. Anti-Prop. 64 groups have reported $2,049,976 in 58 total donations, with in-state donations accounting for just $345,915 of that money.
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Florida’s data is similar to California’s. The majority of money given to advocates comes from within the state. There were 8,557 donations made in support of Amendment 2, for a total of $5,507,439.65. Of that total, 76 percent, or $4,223,448.03, came from in-state sources.
The opposition in Florida has seen fewer in-state dollars flowing into their war chest. They reported 41 donations for a total of $3,430,482 raised. Only 56 percent of that 3.4 million is from the state of Florida, with $1,930,380 coming from out of state.
Nevada
Things in Nevada are a little different. Las Vegas-based casino magnate and billionaire Sheldon Adelson donated $2 million to the opposition last week, which as you might imagine, changed the No On 2 campaign’s financial picture considerably. In fact, Adelson’s contribution represents 94 percent of the campaign’s contribution total.
Advocates for Question 2 has amassed $1,088,000 via 107 donations, with 62 percent of that coming from within Nevada ($676,470). The opposition, with just 20 donations, has generated $2,120,691 in total donations. Thanks to Adelson, 99 percent of that comes from the state of Nevada.
Massachusetts
Out-of-state donations make up the majority of funds banked by Massachusetts’ campaign to legalize adult-use cannabis. Several Washington DC-based PACs, notably the New Approach PAC, have donated millions of dollars to the campaign. In total, 276 donations have brought in $3,663,270. In total, 276 donations have brought in $3,663,270. There were 50 donations from out-of-state donors reported for the advocates, but that total made up the majority of donations, with 91 percent of the 3.6 million coming from out of state ($3,323,750.00).
The opposition campaign has only generated $632,525 in 88 donations. The percentage of in-state donations totals 90 percent, as there only $61,500 was donated from outside of Massachusetts.
