The Florida Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing to decide whether or not an initiative to legalize marijuana will be put to a vote next year.
In June the Florida Division of Elections confirmed that the Smart & Safe Florida campaign submitted 967,528 validated signatures on their marijuana legalization initiative, well more than the 891,523 signatures required to place the measure on the November, 2024 general election ballot. However, the state’s attorney general is attempting to block the proposal from being considered, arguing that the ballot summary is “misleading”.
Now, the Florida Supreme Court has agreed to take up the issue, with oral arguments beginning on November 8 (case number: SC2023-0682). The court will decide whether or not voters can consider the measure during the 2024 election, or if the initiative language is invalid, requiring proponents to go back to the drawing board and recollect the necessary signatures.
The proposed initiative would allow 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 allowed to distribute the plant, with any of the state’s licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries allowed to “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute such products and accessories.”
As a constitutional amendment, the initiative would need the support of 60% of the state’s voters to be approved.
According to polling released last month and conducted by the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, 60% of registered Florida voters support legalizing marijuana, including 50% of Republicans. Support for Democrats was the highest at 71%, with 59% of independents supporting the move.
