Florida remains one of the nation’s biggest states without legal recreational cannabis. A proposed state constitutional amendment would change that, and a new survey shows that a majority of Florida voters would favor making a change.

According to the survey conducted by the University of North Florida, two-thirds of registered voters in Florida expressed support for a state constitutional amendment that would permit adults to buy and possess small quantities of marijuana for personal use, without the need for a medical cannabis license. That viewpoint differs from the feelings of the current Florida governor.

Although the findings indicate significant interest in the decriminalization of marijuana, the level of support observed in this survey is slightly lower than that recorded in previous polls conducted by the university.

UNF Surveyed Florida Voters on Recreational Cannabis in November

The UNF Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) conducted the poll from Nov. 6 to Nov. 26, interviewing 716 residents selected from the Florida voter file. The data was weighted based on demographics and geographical strata to ensure a representative sample matching the state’s voter population. It’s important to note that the poll comes with a margin of error of 4.37 percentage points.

Respondents were asked if they would vote yes or no on another proposed state constitutional amendment that would allow adults in Florida to purchase and possess small amounts of recreational marijuana for personal use.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they would vote yes, with 28% indicating a vote of no. In Spring of 2023, 70% of respondents said they would support recreational marijuana in Florida, either strongly or somewhat, and 76% said they supported it in spring 2022.

“Unlike previous surveys when we simply asked if folks support or oppose legalization of recreational marijuana, this time we gave respondents the specifics of this proposed amendment,”  UNF professor of political science Dr. Michael Binder said in a press release. “Yet again, it looks like it has a good chance of passing, if the measure makes it through the courts, and that is a very big ‘if’.”

State Supreme Court Hearing Arguments About the Amendment

The proposed amendment would make it legal for those over 21 to possess small amounts of cannabis for personal use. It also would set up a state-regulated legal recreational market, something now approved in 23 states.

Earlier this month, attorneys appeared before the Florida Supreme Court to engage in oral arguments regarding the initiative seeking to place the amendment on the 2024 ballot. The proposed amendment, which is supported by the group Safe & Smart Florida, aims to permit the purchase of up to three ounces of marijuana but does not include provisions for at-home cultivation.

Despite garnering over one million valid signatures, sufficient for ballot inclusion, Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a petition in August seeking to block the initiative. Moody contends that the measure, among other concerns, features “misleading” language that fails to clarify how the proposed state allowance aligns with federal prohibition.

This is not the first time Republicans have sought to keep people from voting on legalized cannabis or attempted to block an approved legalization measure from becoming law – it also happened in Maine and South Dakota.