Big marijuana companies prep new 2026 ballot measure for recreational pot use in Florida

The biggest marijuana dispensary in Florida, Trulieve, along with the Smart & Safe Florida committee, are already preparing for the 2026 midterm election and the future of recreational pot in the Sunshine State.

On Tuesday, a revamped proposal was submitted to the Division of Elections, with key changes from the constitutional amendment that failed in 2024.

Fight to legalize recreational marijuana

The backstory:

Amendment 3 needed 60% of the vote in Florida to pass in November 2024, but fell short with almost 56% support. Still, the majority of Floridians voted for its passage, which Trulieve told FOX 13 is a good sign for them.

"We are actually incredibly optimistic about the future of cannabis and progress in the state of Florida. The fact that well over a majority of Floridians, over 6 million Floridians, which is an incredible number, came out and cast their ballot for Amendment 3 I think is very encouraging to us," said Kim Rivers, President of the Trulieve Marijuana Brand.

New proposed amendment

Big picture view:

The new amendment proposed for 2026 addresses some of the issues that Governor Ron DeSantis had vocalized when denouncing the 2024 measure.

DeSantis argued the initiative would have prohibited the legislature from regulating where marijuana could be used.

The latest version of the amendment states that "smoking and vaping of marijuana in any public place is prohibited." The proposal also would prohibit "marketing and packaging of marijuana in a manner attractive to children."

Although DeSantis was against the 2024 measure, President-elect Donald Trump supported the legalization of recreational weed in the state last year.

Local perspective:

A pro-marijuana nonprofit in Tampa says more needs to be done to reach that 60% margin in 2026.

"The messaging we saw from the campaign, to me, felt like a lack of a ground game in a lot of ways. It didn't get the necessary grassroots support that was vital to it. There were some naysayers, both on the cannabis advocacy side and, of course, the state itself. We saw Governor DeSantis levy the powers of the state and even our tax dollars to come down against it," said Chris Cano, with Suncoast NORML. "It's going to take a lot more money to put it on the ballot in the future."

Nearly 900,000 patients are enrolled in the state’s medical-marijuana system right now, with hundreds of dispensaries across the state.

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