Florida’s Amendment 3, the adult-use cannabis legalization constitutional amendment that required at least 60% voter support to pass, failed to garner enough votes on Tuesday, The Hill reports. With 95% of precincts reporting results on Tuesday night, only about 57% of Florida voters had supported the amendment.
Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign behind Amendment 3, noted that with a “strong majority” of voters supporting legalization, they remained eager to work with lawmakers to pursue adult-use reforms even though the campaign had fallen short of the 60% support threshold required to pass.
The campaign was primarily funded by Trulieve, the state’s largest medical cannabis company, and took in about $150 million during its run.
“Tonight, a strong majority of Floridians voted in support of legalizing recreational marijuana for adults. While the results of Amendment 3 did not clear the 60 percent threshold, we are eager to work with the governor and legislative leaders who agree with us on decriminalizing recreational marijuana for adults, addressing public consumption, continuing our focus on child safety, and expanding access to safe marijuana through home grow. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the majority of Florida voters who voted yes on Amendment 3 and everyone who stood with us in this effort. We remain committed to advocating for a smarter and safer Florida and will continue to work towards solutions that benefit all Floridians.” — Smart & Safe Florida campaign statement
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) campaigned against the legalization amendment, arguing that adult-use cannabis would make the state too smelly and “reduce the quality of life” for Floridians, the report. In June, DeSantis earned some unlikely allies in the fight against adult-use cannabis reforms when he vetoed a bill to restrict the retail of hemp-derived intoxicating products. Following the veto, hemp retailers lined up to support the governor’s anti-cannabis campaign.
Opposite DeSantis, however, was Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who said in September that he would vote ‘yes’ on the legalization amendment and that he supports the federal rescheduling of cannabis.
Dr. Jessica Spencer, the director of advocacy for the Vote No on 3 Campaign, said in a statement, “We are grateful for the unbending support of the Governor and First Lady of Florida, whose conviction, courage, and fearlessness – even in the face of Big Weed’s unprecedented $150-million cash bomb – was unwavering.”
Florida voters also rejected Amendment 4, which sought to codify women’s right to an abortion in the State Constitution.
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