Despite an endorsement from the 47th president-elect, Donald Trump, Amendment 3 did not pass in Florida.
Amendment 3 was a proposed change to the state’s constitution aimed at allowing adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana products recreationally in the state of Florida.
There are already 24 states that have legalized recreational weed, including the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., and Florida was looking to make it half the country at 25 states that have legalized marijuana.
However, the attempt fell short, with only 57% of the voters in favor of the amendment, at three percentage points shy of the 60% needed to pass.
“As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Trump has been a known Florida resident, and with him securing 56% of the state’s vote, you would think the amendment would have gained support from most of the state, but 71% of the opposers of Amendment 3 identified as Trump supporters. Another 42 percent of Floridians didn’t vote yes on Amendment 3 because they were against the reform. Forty-three percent of those people said they voted for Trump.
Florida residents can credit Governor Ron DeSantis with spearheading the downfall of the amendment. He had plenty of ploys to sway voters, such as telling voters self-interested marijuana companies were making an effort to exploit the market, and even told people at a Tallahassee church that Amendment 3 was an attempt by a specific Florida marijuana company to create a drug cartel funded by the state constitution.
DeSantis’ opposing argument also leaned on the fact that Amendment 3 would allow people to carry enough weed to be able to smoke anywhere they wanted. He mentioned states such as Colorado, where marijuana has been legalized recreationally, had failed to restrict places where people can smoke.
On the contrary, millions of dollars were spent supporting the “Yes on 3” campaign, with one of the largest being Gadsden County-based Trulieve. This popular medical marijuana dispensary donated over $95 million to the initiative.
“I’m bummed that we were so close and yet so far when it came to 3,” Kristine, a Trulieve worker, said when asked about Amendment 3, “I thought that in 2024, with enough research and information regarding weed, it would be legal everywhere. It’s already legal here medicinally and we see the benefits, and after Trump said he supported it, I for sure thought it would’ve gotten passed. I just think the ball was dropped for the numerous opportunities that would have come from this. From restaurants and bakeries being able to make infused foods, to it not being a crime for everyone to enjoy.”
What’s next for Florida and recreational weed?
As of now, only patients with medical cards can purchase and possess weed legally, which is obtained from having a qualifying condition that a physician determines. Gov. DeSantis hinted that the state has already legalized weed. He said that he knows not all of Florida’s more than 880,000 medical marijuana patients have “debilitating illnesses.”
“If you really want it in Florida, you can get it already,” DeSantis said.