New Poll Shows 67 Percent of Floridians Support Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

Survey shows overwhelming support for Florida to become the next state to legalize recreational marijuana. Medical Marijuana was legalized back in 2016, but the state still struggles to get recreational use legalized as well.  The poll, done by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, was broken down with six separate messages concerning the legalities of the measure.

Positive Messages

The first message describes the requirements behind strict labeling and childproof packaging. The amendment also sought out a ban on advertising directed towards minors. After learning about this measure, 70 percent of participants voted in favor of legalization.

The second message featured information regarding how the legalization will affect law enforcement. The message says the legalization “allows the courts and police to focus more time on serious crimes such as gang activity, violent crimes, robbery, and sexual predators.” 67 percent of participants responded positively to this and showed their support.

The final message the voters received focused on the revenue generation that legalization could bring into Florida. This section of the poll saw 63 percent in favor of the legalization.  From these three messages, the results clearly show about two-thirds of adults are in favor of the legalization.

Negative Messages

This poll didn’t only show the positives of legalizing recreational marijuana. The poll also included a section that asked how less likely they were to vote for the new law based on three other messages with opposing views of legalization. 46 percent of people said they were less likely to pass the amendment when they read “studies have shown that marijuana use by those under the age of 25 can impair brain development and function.”

The second message opposing the measure argues that the legalization will mean marijuana will be much more accessible to children and teens, effectively increasing their usage. 43 percent of voters are less likely to vote after learning about this.

Finally, the poll concludes that 41 percent of people were less likely to vote for legal recreational use when they read marijuana is a gateway drug that is addictive and dangerous. Even with these negatives attached to the legalization, the majority of people still wanted to see this on next year’s ballot.

These results come from a statewide survey of 800 people who would likely participate in the 2020 general election. They claim to have a margin of error in the survey to only be 3.46 percent. Hopefully, this is enough evidence for Florida to become the next state to legalize recreational marijuana.