Last November, Florida weed users got bad news—Amendment 3, the state’s legalization initiative, failed. The measure had a 57 percent approval rate, but needed 60 percent to pass. In January, an activist group called Smart & Safe Florida filed a revised version of the bill and set out to collect the signatures required to put it on the 2026 ballot. Now, the group reports they have obtained over 75 percent of the needed signatures for cannabis legalization to appear on Floridians’ 2026 ballots.
RELATED: Legalization Nation: the saga of Florida’s Amendment 3
According to the Florida Division of Elections, weed activists in the state have collected 50,000 valid signatures in July, bringing the total to 661,327. They will need 880,062 to secure the bill’s place on the ballot.
The group will also need to ensure that the bill has support from at least eight percent of voters in half of Florida’s congressional districts. So far, Smart & Safe has achieved this in five of the 28 districts, and is close in several others.
In June, the campaign reached enough signatures to trigger a fiscal and judicial review, which will determine if the bill is eligible for ballot placement and inform voters on its foreseen economic impact.
At the beginning of 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) claimed the measure was in “big time trouble” with the state Supreme Court. He also suggested that the bill will be blocked from going before voters in 2026 because “it should not be in [Florida’s] constitution.”
“There’s a lot of different perspectives on marijuana…If you feel strongly about it, you have elections for the legislature. Go back candidates that you believe will be able to deliver what your vision is on that,” said DeSantis.
The bill’s initial failure came shortly after a Trump endorsement—the then-presidential candidate promised to vote in favor of Amendment 3 despite DeSantis’s opposition to it. The governor was in hot water after being accused of using taxpayer money to fund anti-legalization PSAs.
RELATED: Legalization Nation: Florida corporate cannabis legalization looks familiar
As Trump’s stance on legalization has become more hazy since his election, it’s unclear whether or not Amendment 3’s predecessor will find success. Still, the future of Smart & Safe Florida’s latest bill seems to be bright, and Florida voters may have another chance to vote for legalization soon.