TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Voters in Florida failed to approve the ballot amendment that would further legalize marijuana during voting Tuesday.
Medicinal use of marijuana is already legal in Florida. If this amendment were to have passed, recreational marijuana use would have become legal too.
Under the amendment, people 21 and older would have been legally allowed to possess three ounces of marijuana at a time.
Existing Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers would have been authorized to sell the marijuana. The state would have controlled the process of licensing other entities to cultivate, process and sell marijuana.
Supporters argued marijuana does not need to be outlawed like other substances and that legalizing it would allow law enforcement to focus on stopping more deadly drug use. They also point to additional tax revenue for Florida.
Opponents argued that legalizing marijuana would create a smell in public, hurt quality of life and unfairly benefit certain corporations.