Recreational marijuana won’t be coming to Florida after voters reject Amendment 3
A proposed amendment that would have allowed for recreational marijuana use in Florida failed to get the needed support to pass.
In Florida, constitutional amendments need at least 60% of the vote to be adopted. Amendment 3, which would have allowed people 21 and older to use marijuana without any medical reason, got about 56% of the vote.
The Associated Press officially called the race just past 8:30 p.m Tuesday. The campaign behind Amendment 3, Smart & Safe Florida, acknowledged defeat shortly before.
“Tonight, a strong majority of Floridians voted in support of legalizing recreational marijuana for adults,” the campaign said. “While the results of Amendment 3 did not clear the 60 percent threshold, we are eager to work with the governor and legislative leaders who agree with us on decriminalizing recreational marijuana for adults, addressing public consumption, continuing our focus on child safety, and expanding access to safe marijuana through home grow.”.
Smart & Safe Florida put Amendment 3 on the ballot after collecting more than 1 million petitions. The group was primarily backed by the marijuana company Trulieve. Had the amendment passed, Trulieve and other marijuana dispensaries would have been able to sell to a wider market.
Gov. Ron DeSantis opposed the legal marijuana initiative, and at times leaned on the power of state government to campaign against it.
In the weeks before Election Day, DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis held official news conferences denouncing the amendment. A campaign group opposing the amendment was staffed with DeSantis allies, and the state transportation department ran advertisements saying that DUI crashes increased in states with legal marijuana, which caused the Amendment 3 campaign to send out cease-and-desist notices.
“We are grateful for the unbending support of the Governor and First Lady of Florida, whose conviction, courage, and fearlessness – even in the face of Big Weed’s unprecedented $150-million cash bomb – was unwavering,” Jessica Spencer, director of advocacy for the Vote No on 3 Campaign said in a statement.
While DeSantis opposed the amendment, former President Donald Trump, a Florida resident, said he would be voting for it. Trump said that people should not be arrested for having small amounts of marijuana on them, but said marijuana legalization needs laws to prohibit smoking in public spaces.
The amendment’s failure means that in Florida, only patients with a medical marijuana card will be able to purchase and use marijuana products legally. Voters approved medical marijuana in the 2016 election, when a constitutional amendment proposing it passed with 71% of the vote.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Recreational marijuana won’t be coming to Florida after voters reject Amendment 3."