[[{“value”:”On the heels ofdefeating the 2024 recreational marijuana ballot initiative, Gov. Ron DeSantis is already mounting his anti-cannabis fight ahead of the2026 election.
When asked about the recreational marijuana proposal filed last month, the governor said marijuana should not be included in the Florida constitution, emphasizing that “run-of-the-mill policy” should be left to the Florida Legislature.
“…[T]he reality is [that] constitution should really be for the structure of government…for example, limiting tax increases, if you want to empower something,” he said. “There’s a whole bunch of things that you can use it for but run-of-the-mill policy should not be. Now, I know it’s been used for that over the years, but it does not end well.
That’s what California has done. They use ballot initiatives and they do all for this policy there and then they end up with a state that is basically ungovernable.”
On November 5, Amendment 3, titled “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana,” which would have legalized recreational marijuana in the state constitution, fell short of the 60 percent supermajority required to pass. Smart & Safe Florida, the same political committee behind the failed amendment bankrolled by the state’s largest marijuana operator Trulieve, filed a new proposal for the 2026 ballot in January.
The 2026 proposal remains largely the same as the 2024 version. It would permit those 21-years-old and older to possess and purchase marijuana. It does, however, address the concerns raised by opponents of the previous initiative, including prohibiting “marketing and packaging of marijuana in a manner attractive to children.”
But, DeSantis claimed that the new proposal will have “big-time trouble” getting approved by the Florida Supreme Court and will not make it on the ballot as written. He went on to compare trying to get recreational marijuana added to the constitution to asking the authors of the Bill of Rights to include “pregnant pig care.”
“Look at the U.S. Constitution, look at the things that have been added to the U.S. Constitution. Could you have gone to James Madison in 1792 after the Bill of Rights was passed, ‘Congressman Madison, would you do an amendment for pregnant pig care in the U.S. Constitution,'” DeSantis said. “Of course not. They would have been absurd that an issue like that would have been considered in the constitution. These are policy issues.”
As DeSantis is currently at odds with the state legislature over immigration policy, he has promised to back all the candidates running against the lawmakers who supported the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy (TRUMP) Act instead of his immigration proposal. He’s now encouraging voters to support candidates that share their views on cannabis rather than rely on ballot initiatives.
“If you feel strongly about it, you have elections for the legislature,” he said. “Go back candidates that you believe will be able to deliver what your vision is on that.”
Meanwhile, the small-government governor also wants to make the ballot initiative process more difficult. As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, his office sent several proposals to the state legislature making it harder for voters to amend the state constitution.
He proposed that people can only sign a petition in person at an elections office or request a petition similar to vote-by-mail. This would eliminate the use of third-party organizers to help collect petition signatures. He also included a directive for the attorney general to add a “disclosure of material legal effects” about the amendment on the ballot among his several ideas.
“}]] DeSantis likened adding cannabis to the constitution to James Madison amending the Bill of Rights to add “pregnant pig care.” Read More
