Florida voters reject a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana

Florida voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana for adults at least 21 years old and allowed them to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.

It failed to meet the required 60% threshold, while the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration takes steps to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Florida’s Republican-dominated government has a long history of opposing marijuana legalization.

“Although the results of Amendment 3 did not meet the 60 percent threshold, we are committed to working with the Governor and legislative leaders who agree with us on decriminalizing recreational marijuana for adults, addressing public consumption, continuing of our focus on child safety and expanding access to safe marijuana through home cultivation,” said a statement from Smart & Safe Florida, the political group leading the campaign in support of the measure.

The committee had raised a total of $152.27 million in cash and $959,000 in in-kind contributions since its inception in 2022, according to the latest report on the state Division of Elections website.

The passage of the marijuana measure would not have immediately made marijuana legal in Florida. It would have allowed the Florida Legislature to create regulations or decide how to implement the amendment during the legislative session that begins in March.

Republican officials in Florida were mixed on their support for this ballot measure.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders opposed the measure, with DeSantis saying it only benefits large marijuana companies and would leave a marijuana stench in the air.

But former President Donald Trump expressed support for the measure and a possible federal policy change to reclassify marijuana in early September. He said he would vote in favor of the initiative, one of the few positions he and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris agreed on.

In a statement, Florida Democratic Party Chairman Nikki Fried blasted DeSantis for “using the full power of the state to lie to voters about the consequences of cannabis legalization.”

“The failure of Amendment 3 is a direct result of the illegal campaign activities of Ron DeSantis and the Executive Office of the Governor,” Fried said. “Using millions of dollars in opioid settlement money and violating multiple statutes along the way, Ron used the full power of the state to lie to voters about the consequences of cannabis legalization — from enlisting government agencies to produce illegal anti-cannabis propaganda to deploying his own chief of staff in charge of campaign efforts. “

“Floridians everywhere should be outraged by this stunning government overreach,” she said. “The so-called party of ‘small government’ has turned Florida into an authoritarian hellscape, and they’ve used taxpayer dollars to do it.”

WLRN News Staff contributed to this report.