Utah developer and philanthropist Kem Gardner is putting his money where his mouth is, cutting a $100,000 check to help defeat the state’s medical marijuana initiative.
Initiative opponents say the donation and other recent contributions to the campaign mark an escalation in the efforts to stop Utah’s Proposition 2.
“I support medical marijuana if it is dispensed from state licensed and state operated dispensaries," Gardner wrote in an email to The Salt Lake Tribune. “I am opposed to privately operated pot shops selling gummy (sic) bears and brownies.”
Disclosure forms filed with the state by Drug Safe Utah — a coalition opposed to Utah’s Proposition 2 — include Gardner’s donation on Aug.