Legal support for the use of cannabis in Florida comes amid DeSantis’ ‘political battle’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch opponent of marijuana legalization, is engaging state election officials in a “political battle” to stop adult marijuana use, one critic said.

And the state’s continued efforts to stop the legalization of marijuana come amid recent polls that show voter support falls short of the threshold needed for Florida, the state’s largest medical-only market, to transition to adult-use.

Smart & Safe Florida, a ballot campaign sponsored by Tallahassee-headquartered cannabis conglomerate Trulieve Cannabis Corp., is making another attempt to qualify for legalization on the 2026 ballot.

The 2024 attempt failed despite the endorsement of President Donald Trump, then the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.

In this cycle, DeSantis officials are doing everything they can to scale, including a case in the state Supreme Court that focuses in part on the smell of marijuana.

Will adult marijuana legalization in Florida pass?

As Florida Politics reported, a recent poll released by the State Chamber of Commerce — which also opposes legalization — found only 51% support for adult-use marijuana, the lowest level of support in four years.

Sixty percent support is needed to pass a constitutional amendment in Florida. In 2024, the 3rd amendment failed with about 56% of voters supporting it.

The poll surveyed only 602 potential voters and has a margin of error of 4 points, according to Florida Politics.

In a press release on Friday, the Florida Chamber of Commerce took a shot at Trulieve and the legalization effort.

“The lack of support from Floridians over the past two years comes despite over $200 million spent trying to pass this amendment in the past two election cycles, in addition to $197 million from Florida’s largest medical marijuana provider,” it read.

“This failure to build momentum for a ballot amendment shows that the more voters learn about legalizing recreational marijuana, the less they like what they learn.”

DeSantis’ ‘political war’ against Florida adult-use cannabis

Meanwhile, DeSantis administration officials are continuing to take actions that critics say are designed to derail the legalization of adult marijuana before voters have their say.

Earlier this week, the state’s Office of Crime and Safety notified election officials in three states that it would audit “certain verified applications” to “ensure that all signatures are valid and collected in accordance with state laws,” the Tampa Bay Times reported.

A representative of the election management told the newspaper that this is like a “political war.”

In a statement sent to the Times, Smart & Safe Florida accused state officials of “using all means necessary to suppress the voices of more than one million Florida voters who legally and legally signed the petitions.”

Smart & Safe Florida has until Feb. 1 to collect 880,000 verified signatures from registered voters. The campaign has raised 675,000, according to the state’s election website.

Despite struggles in his home country, Trulieve continues to be a major national player.

The company recently announced plans to expand into Texas, where a new law promises to expand the state’s medical cannabis program.

And the influence of Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve, helped Trump issue an executive order last month directing the Justice Department to complete marijuana redistricting.