'It’ll be on the ballot': DeSantis says recreational marijuana will go before Florida voters this November

Could Gov. Ron DeSantis be the weed whisperer?

The governor ignited a firestorm in cannabis circles this week after he predicted a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow adults 21 and older to use recreational marijuana will get on the November ballot.

DeSantis was asked about the issue by Don Murphy, a cannabis lobbyist who is director of government relations for the Marijuana Leadership Campaign, during a campaign stop last week in New Hampshire. The governor dropped out of the 2024 presidential race a few days later.

“‘It’ll be on the ballot,’ the governor of Florida told me when I asked about the prospects for adult-use #cannabis being on the November ballot. Thanks to Tom and Kyle at MM for the story below. #PotPolitics,” Murphy posted Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Murphy was referring to a Marijuana Moment story that first reported the governor’s comments.

Murphy told The News Service of Florida that he asked DeSantis if he thought Florida voters should be allowed to vote on the marijuana legalization, “and before I could finish saying, ‘ballot initiative?’ he said, ‘I think the court is going to approve it. So, yeah, it'll be on the ballot.’
The Florida court heard arguments about the proposal in November, but hasn’t issued a ruling on whether the initiative meets requirements to go before voters. Those requirements, in part, focus on making sure the proposed ballot wording would be clear. DeSantis appointed five of the court’s seven justices.

DeSantis also weighed in on another marijuana issue when questioned by Murphy. The governor said he doesn’t think a federal restriction prohibiting people who use medical marijuana from possessing guns is legal.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think that’s constitutional, to be honest with you,” DeSantis said at a different event in New Hampshire. “If you’re using a legal product, I don’t see how that can nullify a constitutional right.”

Former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who now chairs the Florida Democratic Party, filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging the restriction. A federal judge sided with the U.S. Department of Justice on the issue, but an appeal is pending.
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