In August 2022, Smart & Safe Florida filed a ballot initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis in the 2024 election. But there's much work to be done before Floridians can enjoy legal recreational marijuana. Here's a closer look at the current state of marijuana legal in Florida.
Florida Will legalize recreational Marijuana Soon If Voters Have Their Say, New Poll Finds
A new poll conducted by the University of North Florida found that 64% of likely Florida voters support legal recreational marijuana. This is good news for advocates of legal, who are working to collect the 891,589 signatures required to get the measure on the 2024 ballot.
As a Florida cannabis industry-funded campaign makes progress in getting a marijuana legal initiative placed on the state's 2024 ballot, advocates are working to build support for the measure. The initiative would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use and allow for the cultivation of up to six plants.
Florida Marijuana legal Ballot Measure Tops 420,000 Signatures, With Supreme Court Review Pending
A marijuana industry-backed campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida has collected more than 420,000 signatures, surpassing the 222,898 signatures required to place the measure on the 2024 ballot. However, the Florida Supreme Court must still review the initiative before it can be officially added to the ballot.
New DC expungements law; KS medical marijuana hearing; TX poll; ... The Florida Commission on Ethics said it did not find probable cause to pursue an investigation into allegations that a medical marijuana company had improperly influenced state lawmakers. The company, Trulieve, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to political campaigns in Florida.
Voters may legalize recreational marijuana in Florida next year. A proposed amendment is currently under review, which would make cannabis legal for adults 21 and older. The measure would also create a regulatory framework for the cultivation and distribution of cannabis.
An effort to place legal onto Florida's 2024 ballot is being backed by the cannabis company Trulieve, which so far has contributed over $2 million to the campaign. The initiative would allow adults age 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use.
In 2014, Florida voters approved making medical marijuana legal. The last few years have seen particularly big increases in demand — the number of registered patients has grown from less than 100,000 in 2017 to over 500,000 in 2021. However, there have been some challenges to the implementation of the program, with some lawmakers and officials pushing back against expansion.
Victor Torres' SB 1576 would make adult use cannabis legal for those at least 21 years of age, establishing a so-called “Division of Cannabis” within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to oversee licensing, testing and enforcement. The bill also includes provisions to expunge certain cannabis-related criminal records and to allow for home cultivation of up to six marijuana plants.
Overall, while there is still much work to be done before recreational marijuana is legal in Florida, there is optimism that the state will join the ranks of legal states in the near future. Advocates are working hard to build support for legal, and with a majority of Floridians in favor of the measure, it seems likely that recreational marijuana will soon become a reality in the Sunshine State.
