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Credit: Inside the MagicGuests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando are supporting the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Sunshine State.
The House of Mouse has been a part of the Florida landscape for over 60 years. Even before the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Walt Disney’s hunt for the land that Cinderella Castle would be built upon drew media attention from all over the world. Fast forward to 2024, and Florida’s biggest tourist driver is locked in a socio-political war with Governor Ron DeSantis.
Once positioned to be the future Republican candidate for President of the United States, DeSantis’ barrage against Disney sent him off course, with former President Donald Trump becoming the Republican party nominee. DeSantis’ battle with Disney commenced two years ago when the polarizing Governor signed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the politician out, and thus, the war on the homefront commenced.
The conflict between these two powerful Florida parties has not necessarily been a turn-off for Disney park fans, though. Millions still visit Walt Disney World Resort and the influx of guests has proven that demand for Disney World is still high even after the pandemic closures of 2020. In fact, most recently, the Spring Break season saw a record number of travellers pass through Orlando International Airport. Up 11% on the same period in 2023, 7.6 million were projected to pass through the airport across the 44-day seasonal span. And those numbers are helping another political initiative in DeSantis’ Florida.
Disney World may be known for a lot of things–innovative attractions, viral snacks, Mickey Mouse himself–but guests heading out on vacation to the popular resort have become a statistic in a campaign to get marijuana legalized in the state.
Trulieve Cannabis Corp is seeking the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Sunshine State. The initiative gained steam this week as the bid to change the law on cannabis in Florida was passed by the state’s highest court to be allowed onto the November ballot, per Click Orlando.
Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve, told the outlet “It was really important for us to have all the signatures required in before the Supreme Court hearing, so the court really understood this was absolutely the will of the people.” Her aim, she said, is for the company to educate people on recreational marijuana between now and the election day in November. Reports show that Trulieve pretty much solely financed the $40 million initiative to get the campaign this far.
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No figures have been confirmed, but a financial estimate has the legalization of marijuana bringing in $200 million in tax revenue each year. And this is possible through the amount of tourism that comes to Florida.
“It’s important to realize medical right now isn’t taxed at all,” Rivers told Click Orlando. “[There are] 21 million people in the state of Florida. [There are] 138 million annual tourists, so we think this is going to be a boom for the state and tax revenue that can be reinvested into our local communities.”
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A high portion of the 138 million annual tourists come from domestic and international travel to the Walt Disney World Resort. For example, in 2022, 74 million visitors came to Orlando alone, with 69 million domestic visitors and just under 5 million international tourists, per Fortune. Of course, all of these visitors would not be solely visiting Walt Disney World, but with 58 million annual visitors (21 million to Magic Kingdom Park), then it’s clear that the flagship Disney resort is a beacon for Disney fans worldwide–and a statistic for Trulieve to utilize in their campaign.
Medical usage of marijuana is already legal in Florida, but if recreational usage is passed, then the Sunshine State would join Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Washington D.C., California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Michigan, Vermont, Illinois, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, New Mexico, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Missouri, Delaware, Minnesota, and Ohio. If passed, recreational marijuana will be made available to those 21 and over only.
Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!