With November just around the corner, Florida residents are gearing up to vote for their favorite candidate and a number of amendments. One of which will be whether to legalize recreational marijuana. After months of back and forth, the state Supreme Court gave its approval Monday to put a measure legalizing marijuana use for adults in this year’s general election.
The decision came after Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody challenged the measure, saying it misleads voters in part because federal law still doesn’t allow recreational use of marijuana. But the Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the language wasn’t misleading, as it “clearly states that the amendment legalizes adult personal possession and use of marijuana as a matter of Florida law.”
The measure, known as Amendment 3, would need at least 60% approval from voters to become law. The last time Floridians had a say on marijuana policy was in 2016, when 71% of voters passed the state’s medical marijuana statute.
Amendment 3 would allow adults age 21 and older to possess, purchase or use up to three ounces of marijuana at a time, including no more than five grams in a concentrated form. It would also permit medical marijuana treatment centers and other state licensed entities “to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute such products and accessories.”
If approved, the measure could go into effect six months after election day (May 2025), adding Florida to the list of states that have legalized weed not just for medical use.