JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A newly released poll by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab reveals strong support for legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida, with nearly two-thirds of respondents in favor of the measure.
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This is notably higher than the 60% approval threshold needed for it to pass into law.
Previous coverage on marijuana legalization in Florida
The poll findings are backed by Dr. Michael Binder, who led the research. According to the survey:
- 66% of respondents support legalization.
- 30% are opposed.
- 4% remain undecided.
The amendment, backed by Smart and Safe Florida and major medical marijuana providers like Trulieve and INSA, is gaining traction.
News4JAX spoke with Peter Gallagher, co-founder of INSA, who discussed what the company is doing differently this year to address past concerns, noting that some of the language in the new ballot initiative has been carefully crafted to avoid misperceptions from previous attempts.
“I think there are a lot of misperceptions the last time around,” Gallagher said. “This time, the language has been more carefully crafted to address concerns people had.”
Gallagher also highlighted that since the last ballot initiative failed, nearly 20,000 Floridians have applied for medical marijuana certifications and anticipates the number to continue rising.
To raise awareness, he and other advocates will distribute Constitutional Amendment Initiative Petition Forms across the state.
The industry is also focused on addressing public concerns about marijuana packaging being appealing to children and the regulation of smoking or vaping marijuana in public spaces.
“A lot of that can be regulated at the local level, just like smoking cigarettes or alcohol consumption,” Gallagher explained. “The new ballot language includes provisions prohibiting smoking or vaping in public places, which should alleviate concerns about it being widespread.”