How many votes does it take to get to the center of a tootsie-pop (or legalization)? One…? Twooo….? Three!

GEE I WISH! 

Written by Steve Thaw

Florida has voted on cannabis not once, not twice, but three times!

Three times, Floridians have gone to the polls and made their voices heard. So why are our gubernatorial candidates not listening?

In 2014, 57% of Florida voters supported legalizing medical marijuana. It failed on a technicality. Florida law requires a super-majority (60%) to pass an amendment. Floridians came back in 2016 with an even louder answer: 71% voted yes. When have you ever seen a political vote for anything receive 71%? That kind of thing just doesn’t happen. Then in 2024, voters returned to the ballot one more time, this time for full adult-use legalization. 55.9% said yes. Once again, it failed on the same technicality.

Three votes. A decade of consistency. One message: legalize cannabis.

So, where do the men running to be Florida’s next governor stand on the issue of legislation, clearly, the will of the people?

Byron Donalds: against. Paul Renner: against. Jay Collins: against.

They call this the Free State of Florida. Free for whom, exactly? Certainly, I am not free to plant a natural herb in my backyard, that would result in a felony! 

There is one outlier in this race. Democrat (formerly a Republican) David Jolly has stated clearly that even though he personally voted against Amendment 3 in 2024, he believes the governor works for the people. The people have spoken. He considers the issue decided.

That is not a pro-cannabis argument. That is a pro-democracy argument. And right now, it is the only one being made by anyone running for governor of Florida.

Florida DESERVES better. Florida deserves a governor who respects the mandate of its voters. We have voted three times. The answer has not changed. The answer will not change. Stop wasting taxpayer money on a decided issue.