Florida Supreme Court to Review AG’s Challenge to Cannabis Legalization Ballot Proposal

The Florida Supreme Court will review the legal challenge against the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis ballot proposal brought by state Attorney General Ashley Moody, The Capitolist reports. In a legal filing to the court earlier this month, Moody argued that the “the proposed amendment fails to meet the requirements” of constitutional amendments but did not lay out her arguments.  

According to the Florida Courts’ information system, opponents must file their briefs on or before June 12, and after the deadline, the court will determine whether to conduct oral arguments on the matter. 

The “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” amendment proposal is backed by Smart & Safe Florida. The group is seeking to put the issue to voters in 2024. The campaign has already collected more than the required number of petition signatures to trigger the state Supreme Court review and is nearing the threshold required to put the issue on 2024 ballots.    

Moody is maintaining a previously-established position from 2019 – the last effort to legalize cannabis in the state which was blocked by the state Supreme Court – and insists that the amendment should not reach the ballot, saying that it violates the state’s single-subject rule on ballot initiatives. 

The proposal would remove criminal liability or civil sanctions for the non-medical use of cannabis and authorize all licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers in the state to produce and sell adult-use cannabis products.