Justices, in a 5-2 decision, said a proposal by the political committee Sensible Florida included ballot wording that would mislead voters. Credit: Photo via Adobe
Nearly 150,000 valid petition signatures have been submitted to the state as part of an initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.

The initiative totaled 148,418 submitted signatures as of Tuesday evening, up from 49,692 at the end of November.

The Safe & Smart Florida political committee, which is leading the initiative, would need to submit 891,589 signatures to get on the 2024 ballot.

It also would need to submit 222,898 signatures to trigger a crucial Florida Supreme Court review of the proposed ballot wording.

The “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” proposal would allow people 21 or older “to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”

The initiative has received $15 million from Trulieve, the state’s largest medical-marijuana company.

Voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment that broadly made medical marijuana available in Florida.

This article appears in Dec 29, 2022 – Jan 4, 2023.