As the possibility that Floridians may get to vote on whether or not to legalize recreational cannabis in 2024 lingers, it appears that most citizens would in fact say “yes” if given the opportunity.
According to a new poll, released last week from the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, 60% of respondents approve of adult-use cannabis legalization in the state. Additionally, the poll found that an overwhelming 83% of Floridians back the state’s current medical cannabis program.
Researchers conducted the statewide survey of 600 adult Floridians, measuring attitudes around a number of health policy issues aside from medical cannabis, also asking about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the opioid crisis and COVID-19 misinformation.
While the survey showed overall support for legal adult-use cannabis and the current medical cannabis program, it noted that about 29% of respondents wanted cannabis to remain illegal for recreational use, while 11% of respondents were unsure of where they stand.
In addition to asking about legalization specifically, the survey asked about other attitudes surrounding medical cannabis. Forty-five percent of respondents believed that medical cannabis is “being abused,” while 50% disagreed. Additionally, 39% said that medical cannabis is too easy to obtain in the state, while 57% disagreed, and 40% believed there should be “harsh penalties” for sharing medical cannabis, while 52% disagreed.
Finally, 44% of those surveyed said that medical cannabis should be taxed, while 45% opposed the taxation of medical cannabis.
Smart & Safe Florida (SSF) has worked to get a cannabis legalization initiative on the ballot for 2024, though the road so far has been somewhat rocky. The campaign, funded by Trulieve, said earlier this summer that it had collected more than one million signatures, effectively qualifying it for next year’s ballot.
The court has ruled twice before that previous initiatives did not meet constitutional muster, as ballot initiatives must not be confusing to voters and must address a single subject.
While the newest effort from SSF reached the signature threshold, the initiative was challenged by state Attorney General Ashley Moody, who is concerned that cannabis consumers would face “devastating criminal liability under federal law” should it pass and argued that the ballot summary would be “misleading to voters in several key respects.”
“…Voters need clear guidance before being asked to lift state-law penalties for the possession of a substance that would subject users to devastating criminal liability under federal law. And the rampant misinformation in the press and being peddled by the sponsor of this initiative about its effects makes clarity all the more pivotal,” Moody said in the brief.
SSF spokesperson Steve Vancore countered back in June, saying that those behind the campaign believe that the language as written “clearly complies with the requirements of the Constitution.”
We look forward to bringing this matter to the Florida Supreme Court and are confident that the court will conclude that there is no lawful basis to set aside the ballot initiative. This important issue should be entrusted to the citizens of Florida—over a million of whom have already signed the Smart & Safe Florida petition saying they support it—to decide for themselves through democratic choice,” Vancore said.
In late July, SSF filed a brief with the Florida Supreme Court against Moody, asking the Supreme Court to “reject these misguided efforts to jettison established legal rules in service of a thinly veiled policy agenda,” and to confirm that SSF’s initiative “satisfies the legal requirements to be placed on the ballot.”
The Florida Supreme Court granted Moody’s request for more time to challenge the proposed ballot initiative soon after.
When it comes to the recent survey and voter approval numbers, the 60% figure is important, given that in Florida, the initiative would need at least 60% of the vote to pass. Whether or not the initiative will actually make it to the ballot is still up in the air.
