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A new poll from the University of North Florida shows that fully two-thirds of voters support a bid to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The poll, which was conducted by the UNF Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL), found that 67% of those surveyed said that they would vote for a state constitutional amendment to legalize the possession and regulated sales of small amounts of marijuana for personal use by adults. Only 28% said that they would vote against such a ballot measure.
Earlier surveys indicated stronger support for legalizing cannabis in Florida, including a Spring 2022 poll that found 76% of voters support legalization. A separate survey conducted earlier this year showed that 70% were in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis. PORL faculty director and professor of political science Dr. Michael Binder commented on the apparent decline in support for legalization, noting that the new survey gave respondents specific information about a proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana that is currently undergoing a review by the Florida Supreme Court to determine if it will appear on the ballot.
“Unlike previous surveys when we simply asked if folks support or oppose legalization of recreational marijuana, this time we gave respondents the specifics of the proposed amendment,” Binder said on Thursday in a statement from the public opinion lab. “Yet again, it looks like (the amendment) has a good chance of passing, if it makes it through the courts, and that is a very big ‘if.’”
The poll asked 716 Florida voters about the marijuana legalization proposal and other issues facing the state. In addition to the two-thirds support for the legalization proposal overall, the survey showed strong support for legalizing weed among the members of every demographic group studied by the poll. Generationally, 77% of voters aged 18-24 and 71% of those aged 55-64 said they support the legalization initiative. Other age groups showed less support, with 60% of voters 45-54, 57% of voters 35-44 and 56% of voters 65 and older saying they favor legalizing marijuana.
Proposed Florida Amendment Would Legalize Marijuana For Adults
The proposed constitutional amendment ballot initiative from the group Smart & Safe Florida would allow the state’s current providers of medical marijuana, which was legalized in Florida in 2016, to begin selling cannabis to all adults aged 21 and up. Consumers would be permitted to purchase up to three ounces of marijuana at a time, including no more than five grams of cannabis concentrates.
The proposed constitutional amendment allows state lawmakers to authorize additional adult-use cannabis business licenses, although there is no requirement for the legislature to do so. The initiative also retains Florida’s current vertically integrated business structure, which requires operators to control the production and marketing of marijuana from seed to sale.
More than a million Florida voters have signed petitions to put the weed legalization measure on the ballot, but state Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a petition in August to block the initiative. Moody has argued that the initiative is misleading and fails to clearly state that it does not change federal law prohibiting marijuana. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case last month.
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