Marijuana legalization is on the Florida ballot this November. Here’s what to know.

As public attitudes toward marijuana continue to evolve on a national level, many Floridians are following suit and supporting broader legalization. 

As the November elections approach, Florida voters are gearing up for a pivotal decision: whether to approve the recreational use of cannabis. 

Currently, in Florida you can only buy marijuana with a medical license. If Amendment 3, also known as the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, passes, individuals would be permitted to possess up to three ounces of marijuana, and existing medical marijuana treatment centers could sell cannabis for recreational use. 

In addition, the Florida State Legislature could allow for other entities beyond the current medical marijuana treatment centers to cultivate and sell marijuana.

Medical marijuana was legalized in Florida in 2016, receiving 71% of the vote. 

As of September 2024, the possession and personal use of marijuana for recreational purposes is legal in 24 states and Washington D.C.

As public attitudes toward marijuana continue to evolve on a national level, many Floridians are following suit and supporting broader legalization. 

In a public opinion survey of 774 Floridians, conducted by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, Amendment 3 received 64% support, with 31% opposing and 5% undecided or refusing to answer the question. 

Like other constitutional amendments in Florida, Amendment 3 will require a 60% supermajority vote of approval to pass.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has criticized the measure, alleging that the legalization of recreational marijuana would create a “corporate weed cartel” and that one company is trying to “hijack the state of Florida.”

Steve Vancore, a spokesman for Trulieve, said that DeSantis’ claims aren’t true. “To be clear, the amendment itself, and I know he’s read it, does not give us exclusive access. In fact, quite the opposite,” Vancore said, according to a report in the Sun Sentinel.

He said there are currently 25 active marijuana licenses in Florida, and the governor’s office has the authority to issue 22 more, which is “hardly a monopoly.”

Another concern from opponents is that there would be rampant public use of marijuana, including at restaurants, beaches and near schools.

However, the language of the amendment states that the Florida Legislature retains the full ability to regulate the public use of marijuana.

Supporters say that broader legalization of this growing industry will boost Florida’s economy. In 2020, when the state lost more than 400,000 jobs, Florida’s cannabis industry added 15,000 employees.

And according to Smart and Safe Florida, legalization will help assure access to safe cannabis. “Illicit market cannabis is a large unknown – consumers cannot be sure what is in their cannabis. A recent Florida House of Representatives hearing revealed that approximately 90% of illicit marijuana confiscated by law enforcement and tested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement tested positive for harmful chemicals or additives such as pesticides or other drugs like fentanyl. That is why third-party lab testing of all marijuana products sold in the state is so important to ensuring the safety of Floridians,” the organization’s site says.

Legalization would also reduce the burden on the criminal justice system, which disproportionately affects communities of color, amendment supporters argue. “Of the approximately one-quarter of a million drug arrests in the United States in 2022, 92% were for simple possession of marijuana only, costing taxpayers untold billions of dollars in detaining these individuals as well as clogging the court system with proceedings for relatively minor infractions,” according to Smart and Safe Florida.

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