TAMPA, Fla. — A new public opinion survey released shows participants are more likely to vote "yes" on initiatives that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and expand abortion access.
The poll of 774 Floridians was conducted by the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab. The results show that 64% would vote to amend the constitution to allow adults 21 or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana recreationally. For the abortion amendment, 69% of participants said they would vote to approve the initiative.
In March, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that both initiatives would be on the ballot after having to decide if they were consistent with state law. The constitutional amendments need 60% of voters to vote "yes" for them to become law.
A May poll from Florida Atlantic University's Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab and Mainstreet Research showed only 47% of respondents supported the recreational marijuana measure and 49% supported the abortion measure. So, it seems voters are more in favor of the amendments.
A breakdown of the poll for recreational marijuana
Amendment 3 was sponsored by Smart and Safe Florida, a nonprofit organization supporting the use of the drug.
“It’s not too clear yet how much money will be injected into the campaign against this amendment,” said Michael Binder, the faculty director and political science professor, in a press release. “If the opposing organizations ramp up their campaigns, we may see this number come down, depending how much cash is spent in opposition.”
Only medical marijuana is currently legal in Florida for people who have medical cards. People 18 and older are allowed to buy CBD products including oils and topicals if the product has 0.3% or less of THC and was extracted from the hemp plant. People over 21 can buy CBD vapes.
A breakdown of the poll for abortion rights
Amendment 4, which got higher support with just 23% opposing in the poll, was sponsored by Floridians Protecting Freedom. If voted into law, it would block the state from prohibiting abortion up to the point of viability, which is the point where the fetus is viable outside the womb. This is usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy. This comes after the state's six-week abortion ban went into effect on May 1.
“Again, we have yet to see campaigns on either side of this really get moving,” Binder said. “Factor in the highly contested and contentious financial impact statement recently added to the ballot summary, and I would expect to see support for this amendment drop before November."
Previous Florida law allowed abortions up to 24 weeks before DeSantis signed the bill banning them after 15 weeks, which was met with lawsuits. In April 2023, DeSantis and lawmakers approved a law banning abortions after six weeks with certain exceptions.
Trump leads by 7 points
The survey also compared Republican candidate Donald Trump to the presumptive Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. The poll showed Trump as the favorite leading with 49% to Harris' 42%.
The poll showed that 4% of voters would pick another candidate, and 6% don't know.
Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent senator, also led in the poll with 47% of respondents choosing him and 43% choosing the Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
