Money continues to flow in a campaign against medical cannabis initiative

Drug Safe Utah, the group focused on defeating Proposition 2, had the largest spending day of its existence on Oct. 3, the eve of the announcement that both sides of the medical marijuana debate were burying the hatchet.

That day, the political issues committee shelled out $ 5,000 for field work, another $ 5,000 on consulting services and more than $ 240,000 for marketing and advertising, according to financial disclosures posted this week.

On Oct. 4, prominent figures on the topic of medical marijuana appeared with Utah leaders to declare that they have reached a "shared vision" for medical marijuana in the state. Gov. Gary Herbert promised to call a special session where lawmakers could review draft legislation that would act as an alternative to Prop 2.

As part of the agreement, parties in the negotiations said they would be de-escalating their respective campaigns for and against the ballot initiative. House Speaker Greg Hughes has been granted the agreement with staving off a rancorous advertising war.

But the financial disclosure covering the period Sept. 27 to Oct. 25 show Drug Safe Utah has been heavily discounted in the past. The group spent nearly $ 412,000 on timeframe reporting, about $ 148,700 of what since the so-called compromised was announced.

The anti-initiative coalition is heavily funded by Utah developers Walter J. Plumb III and Kem Gardner was not part of the negotiations or bound to the escalation pact. However, many of the group's heavyweights – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Utah Medical Association, for instance – did participate in the talks.

Connor Boyack, part of the pro-initiative camp, said he's not losing sleep over the Safe Drugs Utah campaign. His group, Utah Patients Coalition, was part of the agreement and thus it was planned to make a significant contribution.

But Boyack said his group is able to disseminate its message without spending on television or radio spots.

"They [Drug Safe Utah] "Boyack said," we do not have the built-in social network of very active people interested in spreading the message. "And so, they have to pay for their propaganda on the airwaves."

The Utah Medical Association did $ 21,000 to Drug Safe Utah in the aftermath of compromise. Boyack said he would not necessarily view it as a violation of the de-escalation agreement, unless the money was used for television or radio ads.

Other PICs created to promote or undermine The Utah Patients Coalition raised about $ 13,900 and spent on $ 34,000, largely on campaign consultants and yard signs. A $ 2,000 speaking fee went to train state Sen. Mark Madsen, who traveled from Peru to speak at the conference conference announcing the consensus legislation.

Boyack said that Madsen, an early proponent of medical marijuana to Utah, also participated in a few private meetings with the Utah Patients Coalition. The stipend was meant to cover Madsen's work with the coalition while he was in town, he added.

Truth About Proposition 2, another group supported by Plumb, has drawn some attention by driving a "mobile pot shop" (it does not actually contain any cannabis) around the world to warn people about the ballot initiative. But the group only reported about $ 1,000 in the most recent reporting period.

The group Patients and Families for Prop 2 has not yet filed any financial disclosures, according to the state's website.

Representatives of Drug Safe Utah.