TAMPA, Fla. — Since Amendment 3 failed to pass with less than 60% of voters saying "yes," recreational marijuana will remain illegal in Florida.
If Amendment 3 passed, Floridians ages 21 would have been able to legally possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana and up to 5 grams of marijuana in concentrate form for recreational use.
Millions of dollars were donated to the campaign sponsored by Smart & Safe Florida with medical marijuana dispensary company Trulieve donating the majority of the funds. The company donated more than $144 million out of a total of $153.2 million, according to Ballotpedia.
Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said she is "looking forward to working the legislature on the next steps to ensure safe access to marijuana for adults in Florida" in an X post.
Smart & Safe Florida also released a statement saying they are eager to work with the government and legislative leaders to decriminalize marijuana since a strong majority of voters supported the measure.
The ballot amendment got nearly 56% of the vote but wasn't able to clear the 60% threshold needed to pass.
While supporters aim to continue on the pathway to decriminalization, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis fought tooth and nail against Amendment 3. In the coming weeks and days before the election he held several news conferences detesting that measure and Amendment 4, which would have enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. Amendment 4 also failed to reach the 60% threshold.
When speaking on Trulieve's big spending on the amendment, DeSantis called it "one of the most egregious things I've ever seen attempted."
“It's not about freedom to do what you want with your own property and use the comfort of your own home. It's about forcing a commercial relationship with them and these other select marijuana companies,” the governor said at a news conference at the end of October.
Advocates can try again for legal marijuana in another election, which is what has happened before. In 2014, a ballot measure for medical marijuana failed but then in 2016, a similar measure passed.
On the national level, President-elect Donald Trump previously said he supported the amendment but has not said he would legalize marijuana when he takes office.
