Florida’s state Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of existing language for a medical marijuana ballot measure. The decision was the final hurdle to ensuring the initiative will appear on the November ballot.
On Friday, the Florida Division of Elections certified enough signatures to qualify the initiative.
These developments make the state a key cannabis battleground this fall. At least 60% of voters must support the measure for it to pass.
If ultimately successful, the measure would open up potentially one of the largest markets for medical marijuana in the country.
United for Care, a group spearheaded and funded by Orlando lawyer John Morgan, has been the driving force behind the initiative. Morgan said the group has collected more than 1.1 million signatures in support of the pro-medical marijuana campaign.
As of Friday, 710,508 of those had been validated by state election officials.
While legalization measures are typically more successful in presidential election years, advocates are hoping Florida will prove an exception to that rule. A Public Policy Polling survey found that 65% of Floridians support the idea of medical marijuana in their state, so the vote could be close.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott does not support medical marijuana. His presumptive challenger – former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running as a Democrat – supports the initiative.
