[[{“value”:”In November, Floridans will cast ballots to make fun marijuana use legal for adults 21 and older.
A ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana was approved by the Florida Supreme Court.
The Florida Supreme Court will let the state’s voter cast a ballot in November to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana or protect abortion rights. https ://t.co/rwWSFipQVG
— The Associated Press ( @AP ) April 1, 2024
The number of signatures needed to trigger a necessary judicial review of the initiative’s validity was obtained from a ballot initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana under Florida law. Our scope of work is limited, with the exception of determining whether the amendment is lawfully sound, whether the ballot summary meets the legal standard for clarity, and whether the amendment is aesthetically irrelevant under the federal constitution, according to Florida Supreme Court Justice Jamie R. Grosshans.
” In light of those limited considerations, we approve the proposed amendment for placement on the ballot”, Grosshans added.
BREAKING: Adult Use Cannabis Will be On the 2024 Ballot in Florida! https ://t.co/lJeZArjm4t pic. twitter.com/Dih6Ln40qL
— Chris Nelson ( @ReOpenChris ) April 1, 2024
From the Associated Press:
The justices voted 5 to 2 to put a measure on the ballot that would allow businesses that previously grow and sell clinical marijuana to ever-adultern for any reason. Additionally, the ballot measure would legalize the possession of marijuana for individual use.
Moody argued that the proposal is deceptive, in part, because federal law still does n’t allow recreational or medical use of marijuana. She contends that the court recently made an error by approving the language for the 2016 medical marijuana ballot initiative.
Grosshans disputed Moody’s argument in the majority opinion, saying that the measure will certainly cause confusion among voters because it” clearly states that the amendment legalizes adult private possession and use of marijuana as a matter of Florida law.”
Grosshans refuted another person’s claim that the measure violates the multi-subject ballot initiative because it both decriminalizes marijuana and permits its sale. That two are reasonably linked, according to Grossman.
The legalization of marijuana presumes that the product will be accessible to the consumer. Similarly, the sale of individual- use marijuana cannot be realistically undertaken while possession is criminalized. Selling and possessing marijuana appear, for better or worse, instantly connected”, Grosshans wrote.
” Smart & Safe’s ballot amendment for recreational marijuana in Florida has been approved by the Florida Supreme Court,” the court has said. This November, Floridians will be not only be voting for President, they will also decide if they want people to be able to buy cannabis without a health card”, Martha Bueno commented.
Breaking news: Smart & Safe’s ballot amendment for recreational marijuana in Florida has been approved by the Florida Supreme Court.
Floridians will vote for President in November, but they will also determine whether or not they want people to be able to purchase cannabis without…
— Martha Bueno ( @BuenoForMiami ) April 1, 2024
Forbes noted:
According to Matthew Schweich, senior director of the Marijuana Policy Project, this is one of the most significant legalization campaigns to date, according to a statement released by the advocacy group for cannabis policy reform. ” We have the opportunity to put an end to the injustice of the cannabis prohibition for over 22 million Americans.”
At least 60 % of the vote in the November election must be cast for the ballot measure to become law. Of the 24 states in the union with an initiative process, Florida is the only one to set a 60 % threshold for passage.
” The challenge in Florida is reaching the 60 % mark,” Schweich, who has worked as campaign director for six successful campaigns for the cannabis reform ballot initiative, said. We need a well-funded campaign, but only as crucially, we need a strong grassroots movement that can mobilize support and turn out voters who support legalization.
State elections officials discovered in June 2023 that Smart & Safe Florida’s proposal to legalize adult marijuana had received much signatures to qualify for the ballot in the 2024 general election. The Florida Supreme Court reviewed the initiative before it could be put on the ballot, which would allow it to be re-elected after determining that the measure is limited to a single issue and wo n’t likely confound voters. The Florida Supreme Court invalidated marijuana legalization bids on two separate occasions in 2021.”}]] [[{“value”:”
Floridians are voting in November on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use by adults over 21.
The Florida Supreme Court has approved a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana.
The Florida Supreme Court has decided to let the voters decide in November whether to protect abortion and legalize recreational marijuana. https://t.co/rwWSFipQVG
The Associated Press April 1, 2024
“A ballot initiative that legalized recreational marijuana use under Florida law received the required number signatures to trigger a mandatory judicial review on the validity of the initiative. Our role is limited–we only assess whether the amendment conforms with the constitutionally mandated requirement of a single subject, whether the ballot summary is clear enough to meet the statutory standard, and whether it is facially invalid according to the federal constitution,” Florida Supreme Court Judge Jamie R. Grosshans wrote.
Grosshans said, “In light these limited considerations we approve the amendment proposal for placement on the ballot.”
BREAKING NEWS: Florida will have adult use cannabis on the ballot in 2024! https://t.co/lJeZArjm4t pic.twitter.com/Dih6Ln40qL
Chris Nelson (@ReOpenChris), April 1, 2024
The Associated Press:
The justices voted 5 to 2 to allow a ballot measure that would allow medical marijuana companies to sell to adults over 21 without any restrictions. The ballot measure would also make marijuana possession for personal use legal.
Moody argued the proposal was deceptive in part because federal law does not allow for recreational or medical marijuana use. She argued the court erred in the past when it approved the ballot language for the medical cannabis ballot initiative voters approved in 2016.
Grosshans, in the majority opinion, rejected Moody’s arguments, saying that the measure won’t confuse voters because it “clearly” states that the amendment allows adult personal possession and usage of marijuana under Florida law.
Grosshans rejected the argument of others that the measure violates prohibitions against multi-subject measures because it decriminalizes and allows the sale of marijuana. Grosshans wrote in his article that the two are logically related.
“Legalization assumes that the product will be readily available to the consumer.” The sale of marijuana for personal use is also impossible while possession remains illegal. Grosshans wrote that selling and possessing marijuana appeared to be directly related, for better or for worse.
The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that Smart & Safe’s ballot amendment to allow recreational marijuana in Florida is legal. Floridians are not only voting for the President this November, but they will also be deciding if they want to allow people to buy cannabis without having a medical card,” Martha Bueno said.
Breaking News: The Florida Supreme Court ruled that Smart & Safe’s amendment to the ballot for recreational marijuana use in Florida will be allowed.
Floridians are voting in November for the President and will also be deciding if they want to allow people to purchase cannabis without a…
— Martha Bueno (@BuenoForMiami) April 1, 2024
Forbes noted:
Matthew Schweich said, “This is the most important cannabis-legalization campaign in recent years,” in a statement released by the cannabis policy reform advocacy organization. “We have an opportunity to end the injustice that is cannabis prohibition for more than 22 million Americans.”
For a ballot measure to become law, it must receive at least 60 percent of the vote during the November election. Florida is the only state in the union that has an initiative process and sets a 60% threshold to pass.
Schweich, who served as campaign director of six successful cannabis reform ballot initiatives campaigns since 2016, said that the challenge in Florida was reaching 60%. “We need to have a well-funded, but equally important, we need a strong grassroots campaign that can mobilize supporters and turn out pro legalization voters.”
In June 2023, officials from the state elections revealed that the proposal for adult-use cannabis legalization from Smart & Safe Florida received enough signatures to be included on the ballot of the general election in 2024. The initiative was reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court before it could appear on a ballot. Its task is to verify that the measure is focused on a single issue, and is unlikely to confuse voters. The Florida Supreme Court rejected two marijuana legalization initiatives in 2021.
“}]]
