Will a state amendment legalizing marijuana in Florida make it to the Nov. 5 ballot for voters to decide? Today, we finally get the answer.
The April 1 deadline has arrived for Florida’s Supreme Court to determine whether a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana throughout the state should appear on the 2024 ballot — and at 4 p.m. their much anticipated decision will be announced.
Amendment 3 — also called the Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative — was spearheaded by the Smart & Safe Florida campaign, which receives funding from Trulieve, a provider of medical marijuana.
To trigger a review by the state Supreme Court, the initiative needed the signatures of 891,523 Florida voters. However, organizers exceeded expectations by gathering 1,033,769 signatures, well surpassing the requirement.
The court began its review in November and was given until April 1, 2024, to announce its decision.
A survey by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab found that nearly 70% of Florida’s registered voters are in favor of the amendment, which would allow Floridians to buy and hold limited marijuana amounts for personal use without a medical license.
MORE: Florida voters in favor of amendment for recreational marijuana use
In 2016, Florida voters overwhelmingly supported a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana, with more than 70% in favor, paving the way for a significant number of Floridians to access medical cannabis. As of March 29, 2024, the state had 877,954 registered medical marijuana patients.
In January, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis predicted the initiative would appear on the November ballot.
“I think the court is going to approve that … so it’ll be on the ballot,” DeSantis told reporters during an event in New Hampshire, just a few days before officially ending his presidential campaign.
MORE: Florida closer to marijuana legalization vote; DeSantis expects ‘it’ll be on the ballot’
But it likely won’t have his vote.
At an event put together by the Never Back Down Super PAC in August, Florida Politics reported that DeSantis called recreational marijuana “a real, real problem” and told reporters, “Yeah, I would not legalize.”
While state Supreme Court rulings usually come out on Thursdays, the court issued a notice on March 28 saying, “The Florida Supreme Court will release out-of-calendar opinions at 4 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 1.”
If Amendment 3 secures a spot on the ballot, it will require a 60% majority vote from the electorate to pass.
We will update this story as new details emerge.