A Florida campaign seeking to qualify a marijuana legalization initiative for the state’s 2026 ballot has now collected nearly 70 percent of the required signatures to put the measure before voters.
Almost six months after the campaign Smart & Safe Florida first filed the measure, the latest data from the state Division of Elections shows that advocates have gathered 613,214 of the needed 880,062 signatures to secure ballot placement.
This comes after the group made the 2024 ballot with a prior version of the legalization proposal that fell short of a steep 60 percent vote threshold to pass.
Last month, the state affirmed that the campaign collected enough for the 2026 initiative to trigger a fiscal and judicial review.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in February that the newest measure is in “big time trouble” with the state Supreme Court, predicting it will be blocked from going before voters next year.
“There’s a lot of different perspectives on on marijuana,” DeSantis said. “It should not be in our Constitution. If you feel strongly about it, you have elections for the legislature. Go back candidates that you believe will be able to deliver what your vision is on that.”
“But when you put these things in the Constitution—and I think, I mean, the way they wrote, there’s all kinds of things going on in here. I think it’s going to have big time trouble getting through the Florida Supreme Court,” he said.
In addition to collecting 880,062 valid signatures from registered voters, Smart & Safe Florida must gather them from a minimum of 8 percent of voters in at least half of the state’s congressional districts. The campaign has currently exceeded the needed threshold in just three of the 28 districts, but is close in several others.
Marijuana Moment reached out to the campaign for comment, but a representative was not immediately available.
At its current signature count, the campaign has already succeeded in reaching one of the first milestones. The state is now statutorily obligated to conduct a judicial and financial review of the measure that will determine its legal eligibility and inform the electorate about its potential economic impact.
The latest initiative was filed with the secretary of state’s office just months after the initial version failed during the November 2024 election—despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Smart & Safe Florida is hoping the revised version will succeed in 2026. The campaign—which in the last election cycle received tens of millions of dollars from cannabis industry stakeholders, principally the multi-state operator Trulieve—incorporated certain changes into the new version that seem responsive to criticism opponents raised during the 2024 push.
For example, it now specifically states that the “smoking and vaping of marijuana in any public place is prohibited.”Another section asserts that the legislature would need to approve rules dealing with the “regulation of the time, place, and manner of the public consumption of marijuana.”
Last year, the governor accurately predicted that the 2024 cannabis measure from the campaign would survive a legal challenge from the state attorney general. It’s not entirely clear why he feels this version would face a different outcome.
While there’s uncertainty around how the state’s highest court will navigate the measure, a poll released in February showed overwhelming bipartisan voter support for the reform—with 67 percent of Florida voters backing legalization, including 82 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents and 55 percent of Republicans.
However, the results conflict with another recent poll from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, a proactive opponent of legalization, that found majority support for the reform among likely voter (53 percent) but not enough to be enacted under the 60 percent requirement.
In the background of the campaign’s signature development, DeSantis signed a GOP-led bill last month to impose significant restrictions on the ability to put initiatives on the ballot—a plan that could impair efforts to let voters decide on marijuana legalization next year.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
Separately, a Florida GOP senator claimed recently that the legalization campaign “tricked” Trump into supporting the 2024 measure by misleading him and the general public about key provisions.
Ahead of the election, Trump said in September that he felt Amendment 3 was “going to be very good” for the state.
Before making the comments, Trump met with the CEO of Trulieve, Kim Rivers, as well as with a GOP state senator who is in favor of the reform.
While Trump endorsed the Florida cannabis initiative—as well as federal rescheduling and industry banking access—he has since been silent on cannabis issues. And his cabinet choices have mixed records on marijuana policy.
Meanwhile in Florida, some medical marijuana patients and caregivers in Florida could see their state cannabis registrations revoked under a bill signed into law by DeSantis this week.
DeSantis on Monday signed SB 2514, a broad budget bill that touches on cancer, dentistry and other health-related matters. But it also contains a provision that directs the state Department of Health (DOH) to cancel registrations of medical marijuana patients and caregivers if they’re convicted of—or plead guilty or no contest to—criminal drug charges.
DeSantis Signs Bill To Strip Florida Medical Marijuana Cards From People With Drug Convictions
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
The post Florida Marijuana Campaign Has Collected Nearly 70 Percent Of Signatures Needed To Put Legalization Initiative On 2026 Ballot, State Data Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment.
