The coalition opposing Florida's medical marijuana ballot amendment is preparing to take to the airwaves.

"No on 2" devoting $1.3 million to campaign

Ad casts Amendment 2 as "trojan horse"

Pro-Amendment 2 groups promise counter-surge

The coalition, "No on 2," will devote $1.3 million to an advertising blitz focused on changing public opinion about the measure, which polls indicate is on track to pass by double digits. The ads are expected to run statewide during the first two weeks in October.



The group's marquee television ad casts Amendment 2 - which supporters call a conservatively-tailored approach to legalizing marijuana use only by patients suffering from chronic conditions - as a "trojan horse" that could open the door to a recreational marijuana scheme.



"With Amendment 2, pot will be legally dispensed by bud tenders, not pharmacists; in pot shops, not pharmacies; no prescription needed," the ad warns. "That's not medicine. It's dope dealers with storefronts."



Outraised by roughly a million dollars by the pro-Amendment 2 "United for Care" coalition, the political committee behind the "No on 2" campaign is receiving a series of late-stage cash infusions. Casino developer Sheldon Adelson donated $1 million to the committee in early September, and Republican benefactor Mel Sembler has pledged to raise as much as $10 million.



The amendment's supporters, however, don't plan to cede the field. In fact, they promise a fundraising surge of their own as the campaign enters the homestretch. After suffering a narrow medical marijuana legalization defeat in 2014, maintaining their polling advantage has become critical - and personal.



Tallahassee lobbyist Jeff Sharkey, who along with Taylor Patrick Biehl runs the Medical Marijuana Business Association of Florida, points to the amendment's list of medical conditions that would qualify for treatment with marijuana as helpful in expanding the number of cash-toting stakeholders.



"This is a major financial investment on their part," Sharkey said. "I think there's a lot at stake for them and that whole supply chain of people involved in the business, and so, I think they will be motivated to support the amendment."