If Florida voters have the opportunity to vote on recreational pot this year, they might "just say no," according to new polling commissioned by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
A survey conducted by Cherry Communications asked voters whether they would support a constitutional amendment legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana and found the proposal with 57% support — a hair short of the 60% threshold amendments need to secure passage.
The Florida Chamber has been a staunch opponent of the recreational marijuana ballot initiative and recently filed a brief supporting Attorney General Ashley Moody's position that the ballot question was "misleading" for not getting into the weeds of cannabis' illegality at the federal level.
And the Chamber has a general distaste for citizen-led constitutional amendments, with its political operation arguing the the process is used to sidestep elected lawmakers.
"With 144 amendments since its creation in 1968, Florida's constitution has long been a target of special interest groups with agendas and recreational marijuana is no different," said Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson.
"The Florida Chamber continues to lead the fight it has fought for over 100 years against similar proposed amendments that could be addressed legislatively rather than through altering Florida's foundational document."
Odds are high the recreational pot question will go before voters in November. The state Supreme Court has not yet approved the ballot question — it has until April 1 to do so — but Justices didn't appear receptive to the state's arguments during a hearing late last year.
Meanwhile, the campaign to get adult-use cannabis on the 2024 ballot has collected more than a million verified petition signatures, well over the 891,000 required to make the ballot.
Should it pass, there's a chance its impact could be blunted by a bill under consideration this Legislative Session.
Filed by Lecanto Republican Rep. Ralph Massullo, HB 1269 would place strict limits on THC content in recreational cannabis — 10% for smokable marijuana, including whole flower, and a 60% limit for non-smokable cannabis, such as vaporizer cartridges.
Further, the bill would limit edibles to 200 milligrams per package with no more than 10 milligrams of THC in a "single serving portion."
The proposed potency limits are below what is typically sold to recreational users in states where cannabis is legal, as well as most medical marijuana products available to patients in Florida. Whole flower cannabis sold at dispensaries generally contains about 20% THC by weight, though some varieties have higher or lower concentrations.
The Florida Chamber poll was conducted Dec. 27-Jan. 4 via live telephone interviews. The sample included 237 Democrats, 256 Republicans and 107 no-party voters. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.
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