Marijuana Legalization Proposal In Florida, On Track For 2024 Ballot?

Smart & Safe Florida political committee filed a measure this past summer proposing a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana. The proposal received enough signatures for the measure to be reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court and now seeks to be placed on the 2024 ballot.

The political committee submitted 294,046 valid signatures, according to the state Division of Elections website. "At least 222,898 signatures are required for the court to review the proposed wording of the measure," reported WSVN News Miami.

What Does The Proposal Say?

Under the “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” Initiative, people over 21 years will be allowed to “possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption.” 

The proposal also would allow MMJ Treatment Centers and FL’s licensed medicinal cannabis operators to “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute such products and accessories.”

However, the initiative would not allow home cultivation for personal use.

What's Next?

The State Supreme Court "will review the wording of the proposition to make sure it includes only one issue and does not mislead voters," per the local news outlet. Additionally, if the political committee gets Supreme Court approval, the proposal will have to gather 891,589 valid signatures to be introduced on the 2024 ballot.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp TCNNF contributed $20 million to the Smart & Safe Florida campaign, of which more than $19 million was spent on expenses related to petition collection and verification.

“Clearly this language was written with prior court decisions in mind. The lawyers read carefully what the court’s admonitions were on the previous ones and then took that guidance and put it in this language now,” Trulieve spokesperson Steve Vancore said. “Legal teams have reviewed, reviewed, reviewed and (…) attempted not to make those same mistakes.”

In related news, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently proposed a budget boost to medical marijuana policies in the state. "This commitment comes at a critical juncture," said DeSantis, who proposed an increase in funding by $38.6 million for the Office of Medical Marijuana Use.

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Image Credits: Ernie114, PeterPike by Pixabay Edited By Benzinga