Florida’s referendum to legalize recreational marijuana falls short

A push successful Florida to legalize recreational marijuana is projected to autumn short — successful a triumph for Gov. Ron DeSantis who’s railed against nan measure.

Amendment 3 needed a 60% supermajority successful bid to go law. It only received 42.9% of nan vote, according to Decision Desk HQ.

The amendment would person made Florida nan 25th authorities successful nan state to afloat legalize marijuana usage for each purposes for group 21 years and older. Medicinal marijuana usage is already ineligible successful nan state.

DeSantis campaigned difficult against Amendment 3, decrying it arsenic a activity lobbied by nan marijuana business to statement their ain pockets alternatively of thing intended to grow nan authorities of voters, according to nan Tallahassee Democrat.

“It wasn’t immaculately conceived. It was put connected nan ballot because 1 large weed institution has now spent $100 cardinal trying to walk it,” DeSantis said astatine an arena successful precocious October. “This amendment is written to use this 1 large weed company. It’s not meant to use you.”

The institution he referenced was Trulieve, a Florida-based marijuana institution that supplies products to aggregate states and is mostly responsible for getting Amendment 3 connected nan ballot.

DeSantis has accused Trulieve of attempting to “corner nan market” successful Florida, wherever medicinal products are already 1 of nan nation’s largest weed markets pinch a worth of much than $2 cardinal annually.

Amendment 3 was designed to use that institution and others for illustration it, DeSantis argued, pointing retired that it did not let for Floridians to turn weed themselves.

Trump — who formed his ain ballot successful Florida Tuesday — characterized Amendment 3 arsenic an inevitability and threw his support down nan measure, while cautioning that legislators should prohibit weed usage successful nationalist places.

“As a Floridian, I will beryllium voting YES connected Amendment 3 this November,” he posted connected Truth Social successful September. “As President, we will proceed to attraction connected investigation to unlock nan aesculapian uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and activity pinch Congress to walk communal consciousness laws, including safe banking for authorities authorized companies, and supporting states authorities to walk marijuana laws, for illustration successful Florida, that activity truthful good for their citizens.”

Marijuana legalization was connected nan ballot Tuesday successful different states for illustration Nebraska and North and South Dakota — which person held retired connected afloat legalizing marijuana moreover arsenic astir half nan state has embraced nan once-banned drug.

While 24 states person afloat legalized marijuana for each uses, 20 — for illustration Florida and nan Dakotas — person still only partially legalized it pinch exceptions for aesculapian purposes.

And six states — Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Kansas, and nan Carolinas — still person broad bans connected immoderate use.

Nebraska and North Carolina have, however, decriminalized nan drug.

Massachusetts, which afloat legalized marijuana successful 2016, is taking nan ballot a measurement further — asking taxpayers whether they want to legalize nan recreational usage of people derived psychedelics.

With Post wires