A new poll released by the Florida Chamber of Commerce shows that marijuana legalization initiatives that could appear on the ballot in November enjoy majority support among likely voters, but not enough to pass the state’s high threshold for approval.
The results of a survey commissioned by the business-focused group were released on Friday. The survey found that only 57 percent of Floridians support the cannabis proposal. This is a little less than the 60 percent required for the constitutional amendment.
The chamber said the poll also found that “voters are less likely to support this amendment when they learn about its impact on businesses and children.” However, it did not release the exact language of the questions to Marijuana Moment. It is unclear what they asked.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce has a record of opposing the marijuana legislation that is currently being reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court after a legal challenge was filed by state Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Last year, an attorney for the chamber appeared before the court to make oral arguments in order to invalidate the initiative and deny voters the chance to vote on it. The case must be decided by April 1st.
Mark Wilson, the chamber’s President, , said that in a recent press release. The Florida Chamber of Commerce continues the fight that it has been fighting for over 100-years against similar proposed changes. These amendments could be addressed through legislation rather than altering Florida’s founding document.
The margin of error for the poll, which included 600 likely voters from December 27, 2020 to January 4, 2020, is +/- four percentage points.
In other polls, voters have shown that they are in a strong position to support the legalization initiative. Last month, a poll conducted by the University of North Florida showed that 67 percent of voters supported the initiative.
Trulieve, a multi-state marijuana firm, has donated over $40 million so far to the Smart & Safe Florida Campaign. The state attorney has accused Trulieve of backing the measure to gain a “monopolistic grip” on Florida’s cannabis industry.
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 concentrates. 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.
A Republican Florida legislator filed a preemptive bill last week that would limit the THC potency in case voters approve legalization.
Florida officials announced last month that two paid canvassers were arrested for , allegedly falsifying petition signatures in order to place the marijuana legalization initiative onto the 2024 state ballot.
The Florida legislature and Governor’s office have commissioned economic analysts to study the impact of legalizing marijuana in the state. 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.
He has said that if he is elected, he will not decriminalize marijuana federally . He said this week, that he would “respect” the state’s decisions in spite of his personal opposition.
DeSantis has also suggested recently that the growth in Florida’s medical marijuana patient population may be due to users using the program as “pretext” to engage in recreational use.
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DeSantis also signed a law that went into effect this summer. It added restrictions on medical marijuana advertising and manufacturing. This included prohibiting products or messages which promote “recreational cannabis use” while increasing the eligibility requirements for industry workers.
In June, the Governor approved a bill that explicitly prohibited sober living homes from allowing their residents to possess or to use medical marijuana. This is true even if a patient has been certified by a physician to use cannabis legally therapeutically according to state law. All other pharmaceuticals prescribed by doctors may still be allowed.
In July , he signed legislation prohibiting the sale of any consumable products — including cannabis “chewing-gum” — to people under 21. This was an extension of a previous prohibition against young people being allowed to buy smokable h.
The organizer of , a separate Florida ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana cultivation by patients withdrew their proposal recently. They explained that the campaign had raised only a little more than $4,000 but could not cover the costs of trying to qualify this measure.
A Florida Republican Senator introduced a bill in the legislature last month that would allow medical cannabis businesses licensed to do business to claim state tax deductions, which they cannot claim at the federal level due to an Internal Revenue Service code (IRS) known as 280E.
South Dakota lawmakers vote to fine medical marijuana dispensaries that don’t warn patients about federal gun ban
The post Florida Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative has Majority Support But Not Enough to Pass, Chamber Of Commerce Survey appeared on Marijuana Moment.
