{"id":74347,"date":"2024-04-18T09:43:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/04\/18\/florida-marijuana-legalization-initiative-lacks-support-to-pass-in-second-poll-in-less-than-a-week\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T12:45:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T20:45:47","slug":"florida-marijuana-legalization-initiative-lacks-support-to-pass-in-second-poll-in-less-than-a-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/04\/18\/florida-marijuana-legalization-initiative-lacks-support-to-pass-in-second-poll-in-less-than-a-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative Lacks Support To Pass In Second Poll In Less Than A Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Another new poll is showing signs of trouble for a Florida marijuana legalization initiative that will appear on the November ballot\u2014this one showing that fewer than 50 percent of voters currently intend to support the measure.<\/p>\n

This is the second poll released in the last week showing insufficient support for approval. In order to pass on the ballot, the constitutional amendment needs to reach a high 60 percent threshold.<\/p>\n

The latest survey from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Mainstreet Research found that a 47 percent plurality of voters back the cannabis initiative, compared to 35 percent opposed and 18 percent undecided.<\/p>\n

A demographic breakdown shows that Democrats are more supportive of the reform (58 percent) than Republicans (39 percent), but even that percentage is relatively low for Democrats, who at the national level support legalization at 87 percent, according to a Gallup poll from last September.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the survey found that voters aged 35-49 are more strongly in favor of Amendment 3 (68 percent) compared to those between the ages of 18 and 34 (48 percent). Typically, legalization polling shows support skewing younger. Only 36 percent of voters over the age of 65 back the marijuana initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cAge plays a salient role, with younger cohorts showing higher support,\u201d Dukhong Kim, an associate professor of political science at FAU, said in a press release.<\/p>\n

The survey<\/a> involved interviews with 865 Florida voters from April 15-17, with a +\/-3.3 percentage point margin of error.<\/p>\n

This is the second poll of the Florida marijuana legalization measure to come out in less than a week, and it follows the state Supreme Court officially clearing the initiative for the ballot<\/a>\u00a0after rejecting the state attorney general\u2019s constitutional challenge.<\/p>\n

The last survey from USA Today\/Ipsos survey found that 56 percent of Florida registered voters back the cannabis proposal<\/a>, which is still below the 60 percent threshold required for enactment.<\/p>\n

That said, there has 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>.<\/p>\n

The latest polling, however, underscores both 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,\u00a0donating 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

Meanwhile, the campaign is now reaching out to military veterans in an effort to build voter support<\/a> for the the reform.<\/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>\u00a0in 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\u00a0complained 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

The governor again attacked the proposal on Wednesday, warning that the changes would be \u201cnot good for families\u201d and \u201cnot good for [the] elderly.\u201d<\/a><\/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