While the federal government is advancing plans to reschedule marijuana, potentially expanding research and commercial opportunities, Florida officials continue to hold firm against broader legalization.
In the state, cannabis remains prohibited except for medical purposes, with possession exceeding 20 grams classified as a felony offense.
A 2024 ballot initiative to permit recreational use garnered over 55% voter support but failed to reach the required 60% threshold for passage.
Josephine Cannella-Krehl of The Flowery, one of Florida's 28 licensed medical marijuana treatment centers, stated, "I mean, this is not a question of if, it is a question of when."
With another attempt to place full legalization on the 2026 ballot underway, Cannella-Krehl suggested that legislators should proactively legalize recreational use rather than waiting for a constitutional amendment to compel action.
"Which would give them the opportunity to regulate it as opposed to waiting to see what happens when the constitutional amendment passes and then, again, they’re strong-armed," said Cannella-Krehl.
However, the latest legalization effort is encountering significant obstacles.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier recently requested the State Supreme Court to review whether the current recreational marijuana proposal can be included on next year's ballot.
Given Uthmeier's previous opposition to the 2024 initiative, it is anticipated he may seek to block this year's measure through the court.
Cannella-Krehl emphasized that if state lawmakers disregard federal trends, they should at least heed voter sentiment.
"If 70 percent of Floridians are saying that they want adult use passed and our lawmakers are not being the voice of the people up at the legislature, then I mean that kind of tells me something," said Cannella-Krehl.
The current recreational marijuana initiative has collected more than 675,000 validated signatures.
To qualify for the ballot, it requires approximately 200,000 additional signatures by February, provided the state supreme court does not intervene to halt the process.
