When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the state was going to “smell like marijuana” if voters supported the Amendment 3 initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and eventually fail, the heads of his detractors and Democratic politicians exploded.
Gov. DeSantis has been pummeled with criticism over his remarks, but his very words could turn out to be true once Floridians go out to vote in November
“It’s basically a license to have it anywhere you want. No time, place, and manner restrictions. This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns, it will reduce the quality of life,” DeSantis said at a Thursday press conference in Fort Lauderdale.
"Once voters figure out how radical both of those are...they are going to fail," Gov. DeSantis added.
DeSantis supported the medicinal marijuana amendment but does not want people to just be able to smoke pot whenever and wherever they want.
In Florida, for a ballot initiative to pass, the measure must receive 60% voter approval, as veteran Reporter Marc Caputo points out.
“60% voter-approval threshold makes FL’s abortion amendment —or any controversial petition— hard to pass in the face of organized opposition,” stated Caputo.
He makes a good point.
We decided to dig into past ballot initiatives and found that in every election since 2016, the majority of the measures passed.
Lets break it down by election year
2016 Presidential Election
PASSED—Expand Medical Marijuana (71.3%)
FAILED—Solar Energy Subsidies (50.8%)
PASSED— Tax Exemption for Disabled First Responders (83.8%)
PASSED— Property Tax Exemptions for Seniors (78.3%)
2018 Midterm Election
Of the 13 ballot initiatives, all but one passed.
The controversial amendment that year was the measure to restore voting rights for convicted felons
PASSED—Restore Voter Rights for Felons (64.5%)
2020 Presidential Election
PASSED—Clarify That ‘Only a Citizen’ May Vote (79%)
PASSED—Raise Minimum Wage ( 61%)
2022 Midterm Election
All three ballot initiatives failed.
FAILED—Abolish Constitution Revision Commission (46%)
FAILED—Expand Homestead Property Tax Exemption ( 41%)
FAILED—Property Value Consideration for Flood Improvements ( 43%)
Will Floridians vote in favor of allowing pot to be smoked in public, or will DeSantis prove naysayers wrong, and the initiative gets defeated at the ballot box?
We can see the abortion amendment passing, but pot could get burned on election night.
