JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the federal government moves towards rescheduling marijuana, opening the door for more research and opportunities for businesses in the industry, Florida leaders aren’t budging on the issue.
Marijuana remains illegal outside of medical use, and possession of more than 20 grams carries felony charges.
In 2024, an effort to legalize recreational use just barely missed the mark, receiving more than 55 percent support from voters.
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It needed 60 to pass.
“I mean, this is not a question of if, it is a question of when,” said Josephine Cannella-Krehl with The Flowery, one of Florida’s 28 authorized medical marijuana treatment centers.
With yet another effort to put full legalization on the 2026 ballot, Cannella-Krehl argued lawmakers would be better served to legalize recreational use on their own, rather than waiting for a constitutional amendment to force their hand.
“Which would give them the opportunity to regulate it as opposed to waiting to see what happens when the constitutional amendment passes and then, again, they’re strong-armed,” said Cannella-Krehl.
But the renewed effort to legalize cannabis is also headed for a tough battle.
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This week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier petitioned the State Supreme Court to decide whether this year’s effort to legalize recreational marijuana can be placed on next year’s ballot.
While it’s technically just a procedural move he’s required to do, given his history fighting the legalization effort in 2024, it’s safe to assume he’ll likely ask the court to block this year’s measure.
Cannella-Krehl argued that if lawmakers won’t follow the lead of the President, they should at least listen to their own voters.
“If 70 percent of Floridians are saying that they want adult use passed and our lawmakers are not being the voice of the people up at the legislature, then I mean that kind of tells me something,” said Cannella-Krehl.
This year’s recreational marijuana initiative currently has more than 675,000 valid signatures.
It needs just over 200,000 more by February to qualify for the ballot, assuming the state supreme court doesn’t block it.
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