According to an update provided today by the Florida Division of Elections, Smart & Safe Florida has submitted 675,714 verified signatures for their initiative to legalize cannabis.
This is nearly 80% of the 880,062 required by the February deadline to make the 2026 ballot.
The proposal largely mirrors 2024’s Amendment 3, which received majority support but missed Florida’s 60% voter-approval threshold with 56% support. The new measure would similarly legalize marijuana possession, use, and purchases for those 21 and older, including an allowance of up to two ounces. Public smoking and vaping would remain prohibited under the language submitted to the state.
If approved by voters, existing Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers would be allowed to begin selling marijuana for recreational use. Additional adult-use licenses could be issued later, though the amendment leaves those decisions to lawmakers and regulators. The measure would take effect six months after Election Day.
Smart & Safe Florida has raised $25,817,024.60 to support the campaign as of October, with most of the contributions coming from industry operators backing legalization, particularly Trulieve. While funding is not the central focus at this stage, the sustained financial support underscores continued momentum for the 2026 effort as signature gathering enters its final stretch.
Last week the campaign filed a writ of mandamus with the Florida Supreme Court, accusing Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews of failing to fulfil their legal duty to transmit the petition to the attorney general for single-subject review after the group crossed the 220,000-signature threshold in June. The filing also contends that officials engaged in unwarranted efforts to invalidate roughly 200,000 petitions and that recent state law changes restricting who may collect signatures have unfairly hampered the drive.
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