If the over 50,000 verified signatures on a petition to legalize marijuana usage for adults in Florida make it onto the ballot in 2024, the state’s marijuana regulations may be subject to modification.
The initiative has garnered 49,692 valid signatures thanks to the efforts of the Smart & Safe Florida political committee and Trulieve, the largest marijuana company in Florida.
Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in Florida
According to the complete text of the petition for a constitutional amendment, the “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” proposal would make it legal for adults over the age of 21 to use marijuana for personal uses, and it would also make it possible for adults to grow marijuana.
According to The Center Square, marijuana usage for medical purposes became legal in Florida in 2014 under the administration of Rick Scott, who was serving as governor at the time; nevertheless, the use of medical marijuana was limited to a select group of medical problems and doses were reduced.
As the report revealed, Ballotpedia says that the Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative (Amendment 2) was a proposed amendment that would have expanded the regulations regarding the use of medical marijuana to allow the smoking form of marijuana as well as other medical conditions.
Republican state senator Jeff Brandes introduced Senate Bill 182 in the 2019 legislative session after facing multiple legal challenges. The bill increased access to medical marijuana, including the option to smoke it.
Meanwhile, the moment has come for Florida to increase its accessibility, according to Steve Vancore of Trulieve, who talked to The Center Square.
Vancore said that the company has a long history of backing ballot initiatives to increase adults’ legal access to cannabis in a responsible manner.
Also Read: Mother Busy Getting High With Friend as 14-Month-Old Child Drowns
Could be Back in Florida Ballots in 2024
Two initiatives are circulating in Florida that would put the issue of recreational marijuana legalization back on the ballot in the state in 2024.
According to Newsbreak, there hasn’t been enough support for legalizing marijuana for recreational use in the Sunshine State so far for it to make it onto the ballot. There are two checkpoints that voters must approach and pass through before casting their ballots.
A total of 891,589 signatures from throughout the country and 222,898 from Floridians are needed to force a judicial and budgetary review of the checkpoints.
Tallahassee-based group Smart & Safe Florida has submitted a petition with 53,675 signatures in favor of their August 2022 proposal.
