Florida State Attorney General attempts to block legal marijuana proposal

Cover photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by Esteban López

In June of 2023, the Florida Division of Elections confirmed that the Smart & Safe Florida campaign submitted 967,528 valid signatures on their marijuana legalization initiative; however, the state's attorney general is making an attempt to block the proposal from being considered by the people in upcoming elections, arguing that the ballot summary is "misleading."

Now, the Florida Supreme Court aims to debate the issue. Oral arguments for case number SC2023-0682 are set to begin on November 8, 2023, with the court seeking to settle whether or not voters will be able to consider the measure during the 2024 election, or if the initiative's language is invalid.

The proposed initiative would allow for those 21 and older "to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise."

Licensed marijuana retail outlets would be permitted to distribute the plant, with the Sunshine State's licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries also allowed to "acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute such products and accessories."

As an amendment to the state constitution, the initiative would need the support of 60% of Florida voters in order to receive approval.

Polling released earlier this year conducted by the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University show that 60% of registered voters in Florida support legalizaing marijuana, including 50% of Republicans. Democrat support was the highest at 71%, with 59% of independent voters also supporting the move.
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Do you support the legalization of marijuana in Florida? Let us know in the comments.
Article by Rachael Volpe