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Proposal to put recreational marijuana on ballot heads to Florida Supreme Court

By NSF Staff
Published  May 16, 2023 6:17am EDT
Florida
The News Service of Florida

Marijuana proposal heads to Supreme Court

Kailey Tracy reports.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Attorney General Ashley Moody on Monday formally submitted a proposed recreational-marijuana ballot initiative to the Florida Supreme Court — and signaled she will argue that the proposal doesn’t meet legal requirements to go before voters in 2024. 

The political committee Smart & Safe Florida is sponsoring the proposed constitutional amendment and has far exceeded the 222,881 petition signatures needed to trigger a crucial Supreme Court review. After receiving notification from Secretary of State Cord Byrd last month, 

Moody on Monday took the step of seeking an opinion from the Supreme Court about the initiative. The Supreme Court reviews issues such as whether proposed constitutional amendments are limited to single subjects and whether the proposed ballot language is clear. 

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In her filing Monday, Moody wrote that she thinks "the proposed amendment fails to meet the requirements" of part of state law, though she did not elaborate. 

Florida officials make moves to expanding medical marijuana licenses

Florida has a large medical marijuana market, totaling just over a billion dollars in sales during the first seven months of this year. Now, the state might expand the market, potentially doubling its size.

She wrote that she will "present additional argument through briefing at the appropriate time." 

In addition to needing approval from the Supreme Court, the Safe & Smart committee needs to total at least 891,523 validated petition signatures to put the measure on the November 2024 ballot. 

The state Division of Elections website listed 786,747 validated signatures as of Monday afternoon. 

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The "Adult Personal Use of Marijuana" proposal would allow people 21 or older "to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise." 

Florida voters in 2016 approved a constitutional amendment that broadly allowed medical marijuana.