While Florida marijuana legalization initiative failed at the ballot this year, a recent poll indicates strong bipartisan voter support for cannabis reform – providing hope to campaigns looking forward to next year’s election when new versions will likely emerge as potential proposals for approval or amendment.
On Tuesday, The University of North Florida (UNF) survey released that found 67 percent of Florida voters now support legalization – with 82% supporting Democrats, 66% favoring independents and 55% favouring Republicans.
Last November’s elections did support the Smart & Safe Florida cannabis proposal with more than half the vote; however, this wasn’t sufficient to pass state law and create constitutional amendment.
A recent poll indicates that policy changes enjoy strong enough support at this point for legalization campaigns to make significant inroads by 2026, when voters will cast ballots to legalize cannabis amendments.
Support for recreational marijuana has always been strong in Florida, which was perhaps why its failure last year as Amendment 3 came as such a shock to some,” stated Michael Binder of UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) in a press release released this Tuesday.
“When we polled likely voters about it last October, 66% said they’d vote yes,” according to Mr. Dobkin. If opposition campaigns had spent less money fighting back in support of passage of their measure, “it likely would have passed with flying colors!”
All demographics surveyed expressed support for legalization, including 53 percent of voters who cast ballots for President Donald Trump during last November’s elections – who made headlines during his campaign by endorsing an unsuccessful version of cannabis legalization measure 2024.
A survey was conducted between February 5-14 with 871 Florida registered voters with an approximate +/-3.7 percentage point margin of error.
Recent polling from Florida Chamber of Commerce, an opponent of legalization, showed majority support among likely voter for legalization at 53% but insufficient for it to pass under 60-percent threshold requirement.
Compare that figure with last year’s election results where 56 percent supported cannabis-related measures; according to the Chamber of Commerce this shows a failure of momentum building for policy.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) indicated last month that Florida’s legalization initiative has encountered “substantial obstacles” from state Supreme Court justices and is in danger of not reaching voter ballot next year.
DeSantis noted the varied views regarding marijuana. If they feel strongly, elections for state legislative seats offer them a platform on which they can express their ideas on this matter. If candidates fail to fulfill your vision on it, vote against them.”
“But when these provisions are added to the Florida Constitution–with all its confusing, convoluted language–I believe there may be trouble getting through Florida Supreme Court,” said Smith.
Last year, Governor Walker accurately predicted that his 2024 cannabis measure from his campaign would survive legal scrutiny by the state attorney general; it remains unclear why this version may produce different outcomes.
Smart & Safe Florida made changes in 2026 that may address criticism that was voiced during 2024’s push for increased gun safety in Florida.
As part of its revised bill, smoking or vaping cannabis in any public place is no longer legal, while another section stipulates that legislation would need to approve rules regarding “regulation of time, place and manner for public consumption of marijuana”.
Newly updated legislation prohibits sales of cannabis products marketed so as to appeal to children, and provide new clarifying language on this matter.
This iteration goes even further by explicitly noting that nothing in the measure would prevent state legislatures from providing for home growing of marijuana by adults for personal use and reasonable regulation, thus allaying certain advocates who voiced criticism about not offering home grow options in its original proposal. This clarification could appease them.
Under this initiative, licensed medical marijuana operators as of January 1 2025 would also be allowed to begin selling adult-use product from that effective date forward.
Uncertain is how these changes might wreak havoc if ultimately qualifying for the 2026 ballot–an election in which conservative voters might likely outnumber liberal ones more heavily–but evidently the campaign feels confident it can win this time around.
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Recently, a Florida GOP senator claimed that legalization advocates “tricked” President Trump into supporting their 2024 measure by misinforming both him and the general public of its provisions.
Before the election, Donald Trump expressed optimism regarding Amendment 3. He met with Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers as well as an Arizona state senator who supports reform before making this statement.
Though Trump initially supported Florida cannabis initiatives and federal rescheduling and banking access for industry banking access, he has since been silent on these topics and his cabinet members’ records of marijuana policy vary considerably.
CRS recently issued a report which highlighted that Trump has yet to establish his marijuana policies during his second term and whether the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will approve an existing proposal rule to reschedule cannabis as yet unknown.
South Dakota Lawmakers Reject Bill Aiming To Overturn Voter-Approved Medical Marijuana Law
Photo Courtesy of Brian Shamblen.
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