A new poll shows that three in five Florida adults support the legalization of marijuana. This comes as activists await the decision by the Florida Supreme Court on whether to allow the legalization initiative appear on the ballot for next year.
The University of South Florida’s (USF) survey and Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) poll showed that 60 percent of Floridians support adult-use legalization. This is the exact amount of support needed to pass the initiative if it were to be placed on the ballot.
A majority of 83 percent supports the legalization of medical cannabis in California.
Democrats are the most in favor of recreational marijuana reform at 71 per cent, followed by Independents (59%) and Republicans (50%).
The legalization of medical cannabis is supported by a bipartisan majority, with 87 per cent of Democrats, 84 per cent of Independents, and 78percent of Republicans in favor.
According to the poll, 45 percent of respondents said that medical marijuana is “abused”, 39 percent stated it was “too easily obtained” and 40% said there should “harsh punishments” for sharing medical cannabis. A further 44 percent believe the state should tax medicinal cannabis.
Researchers from #USF, and @FloridaAtlantic released the results of a statewide health policy survey.
The results show how Floridians view topics like COVID-19 misinformation and AI, as well as medical marijuana and the opioid epidemic. Details https://t.co/HrL1LVvg75
University of South Florida 6 September 2023 HTML0
The survey included interviews with 600 Florida adult residents from August 10-21. There was a +/- 4 percentage point margin of error.
A separate poll conducted by the University of North Florida in March found that 70 percent of respondents supported legalization.
The advocates have already secured enough valid signatures for a marijuana legalization measure to be included on the ballot in 2024, but the Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s (R) challenge it at the State Supreme Court.
In recent months, the campaign, the attorney general’s Office, and other stakeholders on both sides of this issue submitted several briefs to the court. The next step will be oral arguments but these have not yet been scheduled.
The attorney general argues that the summary of the initiative is misleading because it does not explicitly state that cannabis will still be illegal in the United States regardless of whether Florida legalizes the drug.
Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign behind the reform proposal, has disputed this claim. They say it is “far beyond the breaking point” to believe that voters are unaware that marijuana is prohibited at the federal level.
Trulieve, a marijuana company, has contributed over $39 million dollars to the Smart & Safe Florida Campaign to date. This represents nearly all the funding.
The measure, if approved, would amend the state Constitution so that existing medical cannabis companies like Trulieve in the state could begin selling marijuana for all adults older than 21. The measure contains a clause that allows, but does not force, lawmakers to move forward with the approval of new businesses. The proposal would prohibit home cultivation by consumers.
Adults aged 21 or older could purchase and possess cannabis up to an ounce, of which only five grams would be marijuana concentrate products. The three-page document also excludes equity provisions that are favored by supporters, such as expungements and other reliefs for people who have prior cannabis convictions.
Separately economists from the Florida Legislature and the Governor’s office have also been consulted. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, estimates that if marijuana legalization is approved by voters it would produce between $195.6 and $431.3 millions of new sales tax revenue each year. These figures could rise if lawmakers decide to impose a similar excise tax to those in other legalized states on cannabis transactions.
What would the Smart & Safe Florida initiative for marijuana legalization accomplish?
Adults aged 21 or older can purchase and possess three ounces (90 grams) of cannabis for their personal use. Cannabis concentrates are limited to five grams.
Medical cannabis dispensaries can “acquire and cultivate marijuana, manufacture marijuana products, and marijuana accessories for adults to use” and “sell, manufacture, distribute, and sell marijuana products and marijuana accessory to adults.”
The Legislature would have the authority, but not be required to approve any additional entities not licensed as cannabis dispensaries.
The initiative states that the proposal does not prevent the legislature from “enacting legislation that is consistent with this Amendment.”
The amendment clarifies further that nothing in the proposal “changes federal laws,” which appears to be an attempt to avoid previous legal challenges regarding misleading ballot language.
No provisions are made for home cultivation, the expungement or social equity of previous records.
Six months after the vote, the measure will come into effect.
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This is the full text for the title and summary of the ballot:
The law allows adults over 21 to purchase or use marijuana products or marijuana accessories, whether for personal non-medical consumption, such as smoking, ingesting, or ingestion. It also permits Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and other state licensed organizations to cultivate, process and manufacture these products and accessories. Florida law only; federal law is not changed or abrogated. Limits personal possession. Allows consistent legislation. Defines terms. Provides effective date.”
DeSantis is not expected to support the legalization measure. The Republican presidential candidate for 2024 said that if elected, he would not decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The governor claimed that, contrary to the evidence, Colorado’s illegal marijuana market grew since it passed legalization .
Advocates mark 35th anniversary of DEA’s own judge calling for marijuana rescheduling as agency conducts new review
Photo by Philip Steffan.
The post New Poll: Three in five Floridians support marijuana legalization as the State Supreme court weighs a 2024 reform ballot initiative appeared initially on Marijuana Moment.
