Two new polls are showing different outcomes for a proposed amendment that would allow adults in Florida to possess and use recreational marijuana.
One new poll from Florida Atlantic University contends that a proposed amendment that would legalize marijuana is falling short of the 60% support needed to pass, although it also found a significant number of voters remain undecided about the initiative.
The poll, conducted by FAU's PolCom Lab and the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies in collaboration with Mainstreet Research, found that 56% of those surveyed are in support of Amendment 3. But the poll does show there is room for support to grow, as 15% are unsure how they will vote on the marijuana amendment.
But a poll from USA Today/Suffolk University/WSVN released this week found that the amendment had 63% support and only about 3.2% of voters are undecided.
The FAU poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points, while the USA Today poll had a 4.4-percentage-point margin of error.
Steve Vancore — a spokesperson for Trulieve, which supports Amendment 3, and a pollster himself — criticized the FAU survey for not asking voters the right question. The FAU poll asked, "On the upcoming ballot amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana for adults 21 years and older, which way are you considering voting?"
"We don't take any poll that doesn't not ask the actual ballot language and suggest that readers don't take it seriously either," Vancore told Florida Politics. "Valid poll after valid poll including the poll from the opposition have consistently shown amendment 3 polling in the mid 60%."
Meanwhile, the FAU poll showed that Amendment 3 has the most support with voters between the ages of 18 and 49.
While 69% of that age cohort in support of legalizing pot for adults, the support among voters over the age of 50 shows that only 47% of those polled supported Amendment 3.
Luzmarina Garcia, assistant professor of political science at FAU, said the new results released Wednesday show a better understanding of the proposed constitutional amendment.
In April, FAU also polled on both initiatives. At that time, the measures had 49% approval, which shows a gain of 7 points over the last four months, she said.
Support also differs among political parties and race, but not gender, per FAU.
For instance, 74% of Democrats support Amendment 3, while just 37% of Republicans support the initiative, which has been vociferously opposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The amendment is supported by 63% of independents, according to the poll result
Moreover, 58% of Black voters support the amendment, with White voters (both college-educated and those without college degrees) closely behind with roughly 56% supporting the constitutional amendment.
Hispanics were the largest group in opposition, with 35.4% saying they would not support Amendment 3.
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