{"id":74169,"date":"2024-04-15T07:50:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T15:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/04\/15\/florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-does-not-have-enough-support-to-pass-new-poll-says\/"},"modified":"2024-04-15T12:45:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T20:45:36","slug":"florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-does-not-have-enough-support-to-pass-new-poll-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/04\/15\/florida-marijuana-legalization-ballot-measure-does-not-have-enough-support-to-pass-new-poll-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure Does Not Have Enough Support To Pass, New Poll Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A majority of Florida voters say they support a marijuana legalization initiative that will appear on the November ballot\u2014but not enough to reach the steep 60 percent threshold for passage under the state Constitution, according to a new poll.<\/p>\n

The USA Today\/Ipsos survey that was released on Saturday found that 56 percent of Florida registered voters and 49 percent of Floridia adults overall back the cannabis measure.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a mix of polling over the last year on the marijuana legalization initiative, with certain surveys signaling that there is enough support for approval<\/a>. But this is the first to come out since the Florida Supreme Court cleared the measure for the ballot<\/a> after rejecting the state attorney general\u2019s constitutional challenge.<\/p>\n

The poll, first reported<\/a> by The Tallahassee Democrat, found that support for the proposal is strongest among Democrats (69 percent), followed by independents (63 percent) and Republicans (39 percent).<\/p>\n

A regional breakdown shows that central Florida residents are more likely (54 percent) to back the measure than those in north or south Florida (49 percent and 38 percent, respectively).<\/p>\n

Ipsos said it was also notable that \u201cFloridians in Broward County or Palm Beach County are more likely than those in Miami-Dade County to say they would vote in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis (47 percent vs. 30 percent, respectively).\u201d<\/p>\n

The polling firm also said there were \u201cno differences in self-reported plans to vote for recreational cannabis legalization by gender or age\u201d but that \u201cwhite Floridians are more likely than Hispanic Floridians to say they would vote in favor of recreational marijuana legalization this November (55% vs. 32%, respectively).\u201d<\/p>\n

The poll<\/a> involved interviews with 1,014 Florida adults from April 5-7, with a +\/-4.1 percentage point margin of error. The results were disaggregated to show differences in the general population and registered voters.<\/p>\n

The survey also found that 54 percent of respondents are very or somewhat familiar with the state Supreme Court\u2019s decision to allow the cannabis measure to appear on the ballot in November.<\/p>\n

The findings underscore the challenges and opportunities for the Smart & Safe Florida campaign in the months ahead as they enter into the next phase of outreach and education.<\/p>\n

Multiple marijuana companies are working to support that effort, donating a total of nearly $15 million to the campaign<\/a>, including several multi-state operators, according to state filings that were released last week.<\/p>\n

Trulieve, the main financial backer of the initiative, led the pack again with $9.225 million in donations during the first quarter. That follows the company previously contributing\u00a0about $40 million as advocates\u00a0worked to collect more than one million signatures to qualify for ballot placement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If Florida voters approve a marijuana legalization initiative at the ballot,\u00a0that could actually \u201cimprove quality of life\u201d for residents<\/a>\u2014in contrast with the governor\u2019s recent comments to the contrary\u2014the CEO of Trulieve said last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sky has not fallen\u201d with Florida\u2019s implementation of medical cannabis legalization under an earlier initiative, \u201cand folks see that choice is a good thing,\u201d Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said during an interview on The Dales Report\u2019s \u201cTrade To Black\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n

Will Floridians ultimately pass the measure with\u00a0at least 60 percent of the vote as is required for constitutional amendments<\/a> in the state? Rivers says, \u201cHell yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments about quality-of-life implications of cannabis legalization follow Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s (R)\u00a0prediction that voters will reject the marijuana initiative this November<\/a>. He called the proposal \u201cradical\u201d and argued that it will \u201creduce the quality of life\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n

DeSantis, for his part, said earlier this month that enactment of the reform would mean \u201cthis state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns,\u201d which seems to be a particular concern for the governor, who has previously complained about the smell of cannabis in other jurisdictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will reduce the quality of life,\u201d he said, adding that Florida already has a medical cannabis program that his administration implemented following voter approval of the reform in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we really need to do more with that?\u201d he asked. \u201cDo we want to have more marijuana in our communities? I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll work out well, but it is a very, very broad amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rivers said that \u201cDeSantis has been consistent for a long time around his comments around the smell and around, you know, not necessarily being excited about having marijuana everywhere. I think there\u2019s some additional education that needs to happen there, which we\u2019ve been working on.\u201d<\/p>\n

As drafted, the measure if approved would change the state Constitution to allow existing medical cannabis companies in the state like Trulieve to begin selling marijuana to all adults over 21. It contains a provision that would allow\u2014but not require\u2014lawmakers to take steps toward the approval of additional businesses. Home cultivation by consumers would not be allowed under the proposal as drafted.<\/p>\n

Adults 21 and older would be able to purchase and possess up to three ounces of cannabis, only five grams of which could be marijuana concentrate products. The three-page measure also omits equity provisions favored by advocates such as expungements or other relief for people with prior cannabis convictions.<\/p>\n

Separately, economic analysts from the Florida legislature and the the governor\u2019s office estimate that the marijuana legalization initiative would\u00a0generate between $195.6 million and $431.3 million<\/a>\u00a0in new sales tax revenue annually if voters enact it. And those figures could increase considerably if lawmakers opted to impose an additional excise tax on cannabis transactions that\u2019s similar to the ones in place in other legalized states.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the Smart & Safe Florida marijuana legalization initiative would accomplish:<\/strong><\/p>\n