Florida Marijuana Campaign has collected nearly 70 percent of signatures needed to put legalization initiative on 2026 ballot, state data shows

Nearly 70 percent of signatures are required to place a Florida marijuana legalization measure on the ballot in 2026.

Almost six months after the campaign Smart & Safe Florida first filed the measure, the latest data from the state Division of Elections shows that advocates have gathered 613,214 of the needed 880,062 signatures to secure ballot placement.

The group had previously put a version of legalization on the ballot for 2024, but it fell just short of 60 percent of votes needed to pass.

Last month the state confirmed that the collection was sufficient for the 2026 campaign to initiate a fiscal-judicial review.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said (R) in February that the new measure is “in big time trouble” in the Supreme Court of Florida, and he predicted the vote will not be allowed to take place next year.

DeSantis: “There are a number of perspectives about marijuana.” It shouldn’t be in the Constitution. You can vote for your legislator if you are strongly against it. “Go back to the candidates you think will deliver your vision on this.”

“But when you put these things in the Constitution—and I think, I mean, the way they wrote, there’s all kinds of things going on in here. He said, “I think the Florida Supreme Court will have a lot of trouble with this.”

In addition to collecting 880,062 valid signatures from registered voters, Smart & Safe Florida must gather them from a minimum of 8 percent of voters in at least half of the state’s congressional districts. The campaign is currently above the threshold needed in only three districts. However, it’s close in many others.

MEDCAN24 contacted the campaign to get a comment. However, a representative wasn’t immediately available.

With its current signature total, the campaign already achieved one of the initial milestones. Now, the state has a legal obligation to review the measure in judicial and economic terms. This will help determine the measure’s eligibility for law and let the voters know about the potential impact on the economy.

The latest initiative was filed with the secretary of state’s office just months after the initial version failed during the November 2024 election—despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Smart & Safe Florida is hoping the revised version will succeed in 2026. The campaign—which in the last election cycle received tens of millions of dollars from cannabis industry stakeholders, principally the multi-state operator Trulieve—incorporated certain changes into the new version that seem responsive to criticism opponents raised during the 2024 push.

The law now states specifically that smoking or vaping marijuana is not allowed in public areas.The law states in another section that “the legislature must approve regulations governing the regulation of time, place and manner for public consumption.”

Last year, the governor accurately predicted that the 2024 cannabis measure from the campaign would survive a legal challenge from the state attorney general. He doesn’t explain why this version of the campaign would have a different result.

While there’s uncertainty around how the state’s highest court will navigate the measure, a poll released in February showed overwhelming bipartisan voter support for the reform—with 67 percent of Florida voters backing legalization, including 82 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents and 55 percent of Republicans.

However, the results conflict with another recent poll from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, a proactive opponent of legalization, that found majority support for the reform among likely voter (53 percent) but not enough to be enacted under the 60 percent requirement.

In the background of the campaign’s signature development, DeSantis signed a GOP-led bill last month to impose significant restrictions on the ability to put initiatives on the ballot—a plan that could impair efforts to let voters decide on marijuana legalization next year.

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Separately, a Florida GOP senator claimed recently that the legalization campaign “tricked” Trump into supporting the 2024 measure by misleading him and the general public about key provisions.

Ahead of the election, Trump said in September that he felt Amendment 3 was “going to be very good” for the state.

Before making the comments, Trump met with the CEO of Trulieve, Kim Rivers, as well as with a GOP state senator who is in favor of the reform.

While Trump endorsed the Florida cannabis initiative—as well as federal rescheduling and industry banking access—he has since been silent on cannabis issues. His cabinet members have mixed records when it comes to marijuana policy.

DeSantis, the governor of Florida signed this bill into law. It could result in the revocation of state cannabis registrations for some Florida medical marijuana users and caregivers.

DeSantis, the governor of Florida, signed SB 25, a budget bill which touches on issues such as cancer, dental care, and health. But it also contains a provision that directs the state Department of Health (DOH) to cancel registrations of medical marijuana patients and caregivers if they’re convicted of—or plead guilty or no contest to—criminal drug charges.

DeSantis signs Bill to Strip Florida Medical Marijuana cards for people who have drug convictions

Philip Steffan is the photographer.