Florida voters widely support medical marijuana, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
The poll found most voters -- 82 percent -- said they support allowing adults to legally use marijuana for medical use if it is prescribed by a doctor.
That support was overwhelming among every group surveyed.
But while voters generally support the use of medical marijuana, they are more evenly divided on whether adults should be allowed to legally possess small amounts of the drug for personal use. Forty-eight percent said they would approve of such a scenario, while 46 percent said they would disapprove.
Medical marijuana has become a hot topic in Florida throughout the last few months as People United for Medical Marijuana attempts to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot supporting medical marijuana in 2014.
Uber trial lawyer John Morgan has taken the banner to crusade for medical marijuana in Florida and has already pumped thousands of his own dollars to get signatures for an amendment on the ballot.
People United would need to collect a total of683,149 signatures to get the proposal on the ballot in November 2014.
The proposed amendment has already received significant backlash from many top legislators in the state, with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi slamming the amendment for being too broad in its language.
The amendment would make Florida one of the most permissive states in the country, read a brief from Bondi on the proposal. Unlike most other states narrow and limited programs, this proposal would allow anyone of any age to use marijuana for any reason, so long as they found a physician to say that the benefits would outweigh the risks.
House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz also expressed concerns that the amendment was too broad and would have consequences if implemented in the Sunshine State.
We firmly believe the wording of this amendment is not about legalizing marijuana for serious medical illnesses, but rather creating a path in our Constitution for marijuana shops on every street corner, Weatherford said. The ballot summary is misleading and the impact of this amendment is far, far greater than John Morgan and his supporters would like the public to know."
If the amendment does move forward, Wednesdays poll indicates it wont have much trouble passing in 2014.
If the folks who want to legalize medical marijuana in Florida can get their proposal onthe ballot, they are overwhelmingly favored to prevail next November, said assistant director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, Peter Brown.
The issue is set to be heard in the Florida Supreme Court Dec. 5.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen atallison@sunshinestatenews.comor follow her on Twitter at@AllisonNielsen.
