Marijuana industry still has hope for Florida after failure of Amendment 3

Election 2024 Florida Ballot Measures Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers displays the packaging of an edible product as she discusses the medical marijuana company's safety standards at an event in support of Amendment 3, a ballot initiative which would legalize the recreational use of pot in Florida for adults 21 years old and older, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at a Trulieve medical cannabis dispensary in Hallendale Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

By WFTV Staff and Ashley Portero

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.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

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.

Read: Flagler County school employee arrested for striking student with disabilities

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.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.