Florida Recreational Marijuana Legalization Amendment Fails

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Facts

  • Florida's Amendment 3 was defeated Tuesday, as it garnered just 55.9% support — roughly 4% short of the 60% supermajority required for it to pass as an amendment to that state's constitution.[1][2]
  • The amendment, which would've permitted people over 21 to procure recreational marijuana at existing medical marijuana dispensaries, was the most expensive ballot measure in the country.[3][4]
  • Trulieve, the state's largest medical marijuana operator, had funded around $145M of the $153M campaign through the end of last month. Medical marijuana remains legal in Florida.[3][4]
  • Supporters of the amendment included the state Democratic Party and Republican Pres.-elect Donald Trump, who, in a September social media post, wrote, 'I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November.'[5][6]
  • Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was a vocal opponent of the amendment and a similarly failed one that would've enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. He said legalizing recreational marijuana would harm Florida's tourism industry.[7][8]

Sources: [1]New York Post, [2]Axios, [3]Associated Press, [4]Treasure Coast, [5]NBC, [6]USA Today, [7]Newsweek and [8]FOX News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Washington Examiner. Luckily, enough voters considered the harmful implications of legalizing recreational marijuana to prevent this amendment from being added to Florida's constitution. Family values and public safety are more important than encouraging an increase in drug use.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Marketwatch and Slate. DeSantis and other opponents of this amendment proved how antiquated their worldview is. Hopefully, with Trump headed to the White House, there's a chance marijuana can still be taken off the federal controlled substances list — leading to greater business opportunities and fewer pitfalls for users of the drug.

Predictions