In a surprising turn of events, Florida voters rejected a constitutional amendment aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday.
This occurred despite the endorsement of the amendment by former President Donald Trump, highlighting the conservative state's resistance to such liberal policies.
According to Mediaite, the proposed amendment, which sought to permit adults aged 21 and above to "possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise," failed to garner the necessary 60% of votes required to alter the state's constitution. With 85% of votes accounted for, only 55.7% of Floridians supported the legalization of recreational marijuana, while 44.3% voted against it.
The opposition was particularly strong in Miami-Dade county, where the majority of voters rejected the amendment. High-profile Republican figures, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), Representatives Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and the Florida Republican Party, were among those who voiced their opposition. Governor DeSantis expressed his concerns, stating, It would be everywhere. The state would smell like it. We dont need that in Florida.
Despite the amendment's primary support coming from Florida Democrats, it also received backing from former President Trump and his adviser Roger Stone, both of whom criticized Governor DeSantis for his opposition. In an August social media post, Trump wrote, In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3. Someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States. We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them.
This outcome underscores the conservative values of Floridians, who, despite the growing trend of marijuana legalization across the country, have chosen to uphold traditional norms and maintain the status quo.
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