ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.
After months of campaigning and millions of dollars in political spending, Floridians rejected efforts to legalize recreational marijuana.
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Only 56% of Florida residents voted “yes” on Amendment 3, a ballot measure that would have permitted the sale of recreational cannabis to adults. The measure fell short of the 60% supermajority it needed to become law. The failure of the measure comes eight years after voters approved the medical use of marijuana in 2016.
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Smart & Safe Florida, a political action committee lobbying for Amendment 3, had argued that legalizing cannabis for recreational use would create thousands of jobs and generate at least $195 million in new tax revenue per year. The committee was bankrolled by some of the state’s largest medical cannabis chains, including Trulieve, a chain that operates nearly a quarter of the 692 medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida.
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