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FLORIDA - A renewed effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida has reached a pivotal stage, with the state Supreme Court set to review the proposed constitutional amendment for the 2026 ballot.
The initiative, led by the political committee Smart & Safe Florida, has gathered over 377,000 verified petition signatures, surpassing the 220,016 required to trigger judicial and financial review.
The proposed amendment seeks to allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of marijuana, including up to five grams in concentrate form.
It also aims to authorize existing Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and other state-licensed entities to cultivate, process, and sell marijuana products for personal use.
This initiative follows a similar measure in 2024, known as Amendment 3, which received 56% of the vote but fell short of the 60% supermajority required for passage.
The campaign's progress coincides with the implementation of new state laws imposing stricter regulations on citizen-led ballot initiatives.
Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, the legislation includes requirements for petition circulators to register with the state, submit completed petitions within 10 days, and face potential felony charges for collecting more than 25 signatures without registration.
Smart & Safe Florida, along with other advocacy groups, has challenged these restrictions in federal court, arguing that they infringe upon First Amendment rights and hinder grassroots efforts to place initiatives on the ballot.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker recently upheld most provisions of the new law but granted a limited injunction protecting one campaign staffer from prosecution under the law’s criminal penalty for unregistered petition circulation.
As the Florida Supreme Court prepares to assess the amendment's language and financial impact, Smart & Safe Florida continues to collect the remaining signatures needed to meet the full threshold of 880,062 valid signatures required to place the amendment on the 2026 ballot.