JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Recreational marijuana in the state of Florida is on the ballot this November.
If more than 60% of voters approve Amendment 3, then within six months of it passing, adults over 21 years old would be able to use marijuana legally.
The Claims
One of the claims made during a commercial from the lobbying group Smart and Safe Florida states that billions of dollars for law enforcement will be raised through the sale of recreational marijuana.
We've determined this claim needs context.
The Answer
The Sources
Our sources are the text of Amendment 3, the Florida Constitution, a report from the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference and Kim Rivers, the CEO and founder of the medical marijuana company Trulieve.
What We Found
Rivers is referring to Section 3 of Article XI of the Florida Constitution, which does state that amendment initiatives embrace one subject. While the text of the amendment does not detail how tax revenue will be distributed, it does allow for regulation by the state legislature.
According to a July 2023 report by the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference, sales tax revenue for recreational marijuana are estimated to be anywhere between $195 million and $430 million dollars per year. It would be up to the legislature to determine which entities, like law enforcement, receive funding based on that expected revenue.
The full Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference report including the full text of Amendment 3 can be found here.
Amendment 3 proposes to allow adults over the age of 21 to possess, purchase or use marijuana for non-medical personal consumption. Nowhere in the text of Amendment 3 does it expressly state that revenue raised from the sale or licensure or recreational marijuana will go towards funding law enforcement. Rivers said that's by design.
"Previous amendments have actually failed because in the state of Florida there's a single subject rule, every constitutional amendment is strictly construed and has to have one subject," Rivers said.