What's next? A look ahead

Amendment 3 did not reach the required 60% approval threshold, but a majority of voting Floridians – about 56% – still supported it.

Florida will soon have no recreational marijuana. But will that ever happen?

Amendment 3 would have allowed adult marijuana in the state within six months. Going with it several percentage points short of passage on election day, the hope of cannabis users and companies went up in smoke.

While there is hope that President-elect Donald Trump will be beneficial to the sector, since he supported the amendment, he did not endorse federal legalization in any way.

And there’s no expectation that the new crop of lawmakers will be the ones to usher in the recreational product — especially not considering Governor Ron DeSantis’ oppose it.

“Members may introduce any bills they wish (but) my position has been clear,” House Speaker candidate Daniel Perez, a Miami Republican who also opposed the ballot measure, said in a statement.

But even though Amendment 3 fell short of the required 60% approval threshold, a majority of voting Florida residents – about 56% – still supported it.

Republican Senator Joe Gruters of Sarasota, like his ally Trump, thinks it is only “a matter of time” before Florida joins the government. dozens of other states with recreational marijuana. “We could definitely do things on the side,” he said.

To that end, Gruters plans to introduce “a few bills” for the 2025 legislative session.

Gruters is a former chairman of the Republican Party and Trump to be endorsed Florida’s next chief financial officer. He stood out among legislative Republicans this year for being an outspoken supporter of Amendment 3.

He doesn’t know exactly what his bills will do, as he works with other lawmakers to see what the Republican supermajorities in both chambers can pass. Gruters mentioned options to exempt veterans from annual fees for medical marijuana use and to allow Florida residents to grow their own marijuana at home.

DeSantis and other opponents of Amendment 3 pointed out that the measure should not target home cultivation

DeSantis and other conservative opponents of Amendment 3 made a big deal about the measure that does not allow home cultivation. Supporters of Amendment 3 said they supported it but couldn’t fit it into the language due to the state Supreme Court requirements for one subject.

Before Election Day, opponents also claimed the amendment would have prevented restrictions on public use. While Gruters said this was never true, he added he is in favor of the preventive imposition of those restrictions in the upcoming session, “Let’s start building the building blocks for the framework so that everyone feels comfortable,” he said.

A slew of Florida’s largest marijuana companies also expressed enthusiasm about working with DeSantis and lawmakers on new policies.

“We believe there is significant unmet demand for safe, regulated cannabis in Florida, and we look forward to working with the governor’s team and lawmakers to address barriers that prevent further progress,” said George Archos, Founder and CEO from Verano, in a position.

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said yes “I look forward to working with the Legislature on the next steps to ensure safe access to marijuana for adults in Florida, decriminalizing personal possession and home cultivation.”

But Senator Ben Albritton, the new Senate President, told the Tampa Bay Times he is not in favor of expanding marijuana beyond the medical program. DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment

What are Trump’s views on marijuana?

While Trump endorsed Amendment 3, he never endorsed federal legalization of recreational marijuana.

In his announcement on social media After the approval, Trump wrote that his administration would “support the rights of states to pass marijuana laws, like Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”

“I believe it is time to put an end to the unnecessary arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” he wrote.

Trump also said he would work with Congress on opening the banking system to marijuana businesses and would continue the Biden administration’s efforts efforts to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug with no medical value, similar to heroin, to a Schedule III drug, similar to ketamine and anabolic steroids.

“President-elect Trump has embraced federal cannabis reform and expressed support for states’ right to enact their own cannabis laws,” the U.S. Cannabis Council, which advocates for a regulated recreational marijuana industry, said in a statement.

“His support for the SAFE Banking Act and the reclassification of cannabis to Schedule III will make Florida’s medical cannabis market stronger and safer.”

This reporting content is supported through a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Florida. He can be reached at [email protected]. On X: @DouglasSoule.