Matt Gaetz Pictured Reviewing Contract To Provide Top Marijuana Company...

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was reportedly photographed reviewing a
document that appears to be a draft contract to provide services—including
“administration-related guidance”—to a firm affiliated with the major
marijuana company Trulieve. The visible portion of the document describes a
lucrative bonus if a certain “matter resolves,” with an “additional ‘Super
Success Fee'” for other “exclusive policy remedies.”

Gaetz, who was President Donald Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney
general before he withdrew, was a rare example of a pro-legalization GOP
congressman. He resigned from Congress amid unrelated controversies, but he
remains a staunch Trump ally.

Details of the apparent agreement—first reported by The Daily Beast—are
sparse, as the person who took a screenshot of Gaetz on his laptop during a
flight was only able to capture a segment of it. It’s also unclear whether
a firm hired by Trulieve sent him the proposed contract or if Gaetz himself
was drafting it for consideration—and the company’s name is misspelled as
“Truleive” in the available excerpt.

Marijuana Moment reached out to Trulieve and Gaetz for comment, but
representatives were not available.

What the document seems to show, however, is a potential agreement where
Gaetz would provide “legal representation,” “consulting” and
“administration-related guidance” in lobbying efforts to a firm associated
with Trulieve. It indicates that Gaetz would get $250,000 if the certain
“MATTER resolves.”

What “matter” the document is referring to is unclear. But Trulieve has
pushed for various federal reforms such as marijuana rescheduling and
industry banking access. It also spent tens of millions of dollars on 2024
marijuana legalization ballot campaign in Florida that ultimately fell
short.

The deal would also involve an additional “Super Success Fee” for
“exclusive policy remedies,” but the exact dollar amount of that fee is cut
off in the screenshot—with The Daily Beast reasoning that it is likely to
read “$2,000,000″— and it’s not clear what those policies remedies entail.

The document was posted as a reply comment on a TikTok video that’s gained
national attention for other reasons, with Gaetz captured reading text
messages with his mother about foreign policy and personal finance issues.

@tidesofmarch Replying to @CυԃԃʅყDҽαԃKιƚƚყ ♬ original sound –
🤷🏽‍♀️💁🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

In a surprise development during Trump’s presidential campaign last year,
he did endorse the Florida measure Trulieve backed, as well as federal
rescheduling and allowing licensed cannabis businesses to access the
banking system like other traditional companies. He’s been silent on the
issue, at least publicly, since then.

Notably, Trump’s endorsement of the Florida initiative followed a meeting
he had with Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, who also did not respond to a request
for comment.

Unlike Trump, however, Gaetz did not back the Florida ballot measure. He
didn’t speak to the merits of Amendment 3, but he said the reform should be
enacted statutorily so that there’s more flexibility for the legislature to
adjust the law in the future as opposed to via a constitutional amendment.

Trulieve contributed $750,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee following his
election last November, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show.

Combined with the $250,000 that another cannabis company, Curaleaf, donated to
the inauguration via U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC), Trump’s team took in at
least $1 million from the marijuana industry ahead of his swearing-in
ceremony for a second term.

Gaetz, for his part, has been particularly vocal about cannabis policy
issues in recent months.

Just this week, the former congressman reiterated his own support for
rescheduling cannabis—suggesting in an interview with a Florida Republican
lawmaker that the GOP could win more of the youth vote by embracing
marijuana reform.

Gaetz also said last month that Trump’s endorsement of a Schedule III
reclassification was essentially an attempt to shore up support among young
voters rather than a sincere reflection of his personal views about
cannabis.

A survey conducted by a GOP pollster affiliated with Trump that was
released in April found that a majority of Republicans back a variety of
cannabis reforms, including rescheduling. And, notably, they’re even more
supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal
interference compared to the average voter.


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Meanwhile, Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to
run DOJ, and the Senate confirmed that choice. During her confirmation
hearings, Bondi declined to say how she planned to navigate key marijuana
policy issues. And as state attorney general, she opposed efforts to
legalize medical cannabis.

Adding to the uncertainty around the fate of the rescheduling proposal,
Trump’s nominee to lead DEA, Terrance Cole, has previously voiced concerns
about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk
among youth.

During an in-person hearing before the Judiciary Committee in April, Cole
said examining the rescheduling proposal will be “one of my first
priorities” if he was confirmed for the role, saying it’s “time to move
forward” on the stalled process—but again without clarifying what end
result he would like to see.

DEA recently notified an agency judge that the proceedings are still on hold—with
no future actions currently scheduled. The matter sat without action before
an acting administrator, Derek Maltz, who has called cannabis a “gateway
drug” and linked its use to psychosis. Maltz has since left the position.

Amid the stalled marijuana rescheduling process that’s carried over from
the last presidential administration, congressional researchers recently
reiterated that lawmakers could enact the reform themselves with “greater
speed and flexibility” if they so choose, while potentially avoiding
judicial challenges.

Meanwhile, a newly formed coalition of professional athletes and
entertainers, led by retired boxer Mike Tyson, sent a letter to Trump on
Friday—thanking him for past clemency actions while emphasizing the
opportunity he has to best former President Joe Biden by rescheduling
marijuana, expanding pardons and freeing up banking services for licensed
cannabis businesses.

California Marijuana Tax Hike Will Take Effect Next Week After Lawmakers
Omit Provisions To Delay It From Budget Bill

The post Matt Gaetz Pictured Reviewing Contract To Provide Top Marijuana
Company With ‘Administration-Related’ Support Amid Rescheduling Push
appeared first on Marijuana Moment.