Over three-quarters of Florida voters say they are in favor of an amendment to legalize medical marijuana, a positive sign for supporters of the amendment as they make their final push to Election Day.
The University of North Florida survey of likely voters found 77 percent of likely voters saying they will vote in favor of Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment which would expand medical marijuana use in Florida to those with “debilitating” conditions.
Only 18 percent said they were against Amendment 2 while four percent said they were undecided.
In order for a constitutional amendment to pass the ballot in November, it must receive 60 percent of the vote.
When voters were asked about their support for legal marijuana, 40 percent said they support recreational marijuana and 45 percent said they believe marijuana should be legal for medicinal use. Only 15 percent of voters said they believed marijuana should not be legal at all.
The survey was divided evenly among Republican and Democratic voters, with 40 percent of respondents in each party. Twenty percent of respondents said they had No Party Affiliation or were part of some other party.
According to pollsters at the university, the poll results are a good indicator of wide support all around the board, regardless of party affiliation, which is good news for those wanting the amendment to pass next month.
"Huge majorities of likely voters support Florida Constitutional Amendment 2," said Dr. Michael Binder, Faculty Director of the Public Opinion Research Laboratory at UNF. "Not only are Democrats wildly supportive, but even Republicans are above the 60 percent threshold required for passage. The strongest support comes from the voters 34 years old and younger, but even likely voters 65 and older are in favor of legalizing medical marijuana."
The amendment would allow for the medical use of marijuana by a qualifying patient or caregiver. It would also prohibit physicians from being subject to criminal or civil liabilities under Florida law for issuing a prescription for medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana would only be allowed for use for those with “debilitating” medical conditions which would include cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and for other conditions which a physician feels using medical marijuana would outweigh the potential health risks for a patient. Patients would have to place themselves on the Compassionate Use Registry in order to be qualified to receive medical marijuana.
Some patients are already receiving a low-THC form of medical marijuana called “Charlotte’s Web” in Florida. Charlotte’s Web is most commonly used for patients suffering with epilepsy. Over the summer, many marijuana dispensaries began operating throughout the state, with more anticipated in the coming months.
Supporters of Amendment 2 have praised the expansion of medical marijuana in Florida, but opponents fear legalizing the drug medicinally would lead to large loopholes making the drug easily accessible for Floridians who really may not need it at all.
The campaign has already proved incredibly costly in Florida, with both sides raising millions of dollars to push their positions on Florida voters.
Amendment 2 made its ballot debut in 2014, but did not receive the necessary 60 percent to pass.
Voters will head to the polls Nov. 8 to vote on Amendment 2.
The UNF statewide poll of 667 likely Florida voters was conducted by the Public the Public Opinion Research Laboratory Tuesday, Sept. 27 through Oct. 4 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
