Group backing recreational marijuana use in Florida about to reach milestone in signature gathering

by | Jul 24, 2019


The group, Regulate Florida, which is attempting to put a citizens initiative on the 2020 ballot that would permit the regulation of marijuana for recreational use in Florida, says it’s within days of having enough registered voter signatures to trigger a review of the ballot summary by the Florida Supreme Court. The court review will look at whether the summary follows ballot state guidelines.

That “trigger point” is just over 10 percent of the 766,200 signatures needed for a citizens initiative to make the ballot. Reaching the trigger point also requires state economists to conduct an economic impact study of the initiative.

“We are currently at 75,249 verified signatures, needing only 1,383 for the required number of 76,632 to reach this state required milestone.  It’s a matter of days,” Regulate Florida said in a newsletter sent out Wednesday morning. “We will be the FIRST Legalization Citizen’s Initiative to EVER make Supreme Court Review and the first largely grassroots effort to do so.”

The group says, as it now stands, the initiative will reach the milestone weeks earlier than did Amendment 2, the medical marijuana initiative that voters adopted in 2016.

“We are nearly at Supreme Court Review, at least one month ahead of Amendment 2 (Medical Marijuana), which attained Supreme Court Review on September 3rd,” Regulate Florida said in its newsletter.

Supporters of the initiative say they are encouraged by a poll released last month showing an overwhelming number of voters support the idea of letting Floridians buy and even grow their own cannabis. The poll, released by Quinnipiac University, shows Florida voters support 65 – 30 percent allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

Earlier this year, the Legislature enacted new requirements for petition gathers that critics say are designed to make it more difficult for citizen initiatives to make the ballot. The new law creates restrictions for campaigns that pay petition gatherers. All paid petition gatherers must now register with the state. Initiatives must pay petition gatherers by the hour and not by the signature, as they have done in the past.

Organizations promoting initiatives must have numbered, serialized petitions provided by county elections offices. Petition-gathers must register with the state and have a permanent Florida address. Violating the new rules could result in fines and criminal charges, including $50 fines for signed petitions turned in after 30 days and $500 fines for petitions never turned in.

Regulate Florida says the new rules will not interfere with the group’s voter signature  gathering efforts.

“Of course it’s going to make it more difficult, but it is not insurmountable. It’s not going to be a deal-killer for us,” said Karen Seeb Goldstein, vice chair of Regulate Florida,

19 Comments

  1. Sparks

    It’s about time this group win their case. Too many people need relief from pain and many other ailments which marijuana would provide. Take note from Europe marijuana is legal
    and crime and dealers are a thing of the past with respect to sidewalk dealers.

  2. Roy Wilson

    Thats mostly because Sunshine Cannabis has been donating 20% off all their revenue every month and finally the signature collectors have had the money to get this to Supreme Court review, good job Sunshine Cannabis and Chris Sunshine for putting your money up for Florida. I love their Sunshine Kush vape it’s the best one I have found yet for my IBS and sleep problems plus it’s delicious, can’t wait for that new Sunshine Indica to drop!

  3. Jermey Federici

    I agree with the commenter above. The Vaporize to Legalize campaign and the ongoing commitment has been the push needed to reach Supreme Court review.

  4. Monica lee

    I would like to vote where do I sign

  5. Holly

    RegulateFlorida.com

    is where you can find the petition!

  6. Sandra Ridgeway

    I am a Colorado Native. Their mission is to save lives. They are doing just that. I can not believe we voted this in 2 years ago in Florida and they have made such little progress. It’s time to get it right and give Florida voters what they voted for. Fully recreational would do it.

  7. Michelle

    This group wants it regulated. Who the hell wants that? Very few. I want to grow my own like tomatoes.

  8. Barth Leight

    Cannot sign the petition w/out paying. I am poor and cannot afford even a coupla dollars wich it seems i have to do in order to sign, so i won’t be able to add my name to the petition even though i am more than willing to add my name to the list this is not right!

  9. John clauss

    They need to get the strains that help people and in flower. Those vapes don’t do enough for me and others I know . We need flower for the people strains that go with our pains and sickness s , not just what they got on the shelf at the time .

  10. Bob Harvey

    Where do I sign?

  11. John Nelms

    Thanks for the hard work!

  12. John Nelms

    Floridaregulate.com

  13. John Taylor

    Sunshine Cannabis is ruining it with their stupid tye die shirts and hats. Let’s continue the stereotypical hippy stoner image…ridiculous. And that moron attorney Michael Minardi with his stupid stoner videos. No one will takes us seriously if this is who we have running the show. Look to Colorado for how they ran their campaign for Amendment 64. Clean, professional, and showed that working class people use this plant responsibly.

  14. Antonio Maserruci

    You are an idiot “John Taylor” (fake name) and clearly ignorant of the culture and reality of current society that includes self expression, freedom of choice, and breaking old stigmas and stereotypes that still are clearly shackling your feeble mind.

    You are 100% guaranteed to be someone who has done nothing for legalization while these hardworking and dedicated individuals fight for your rights and the freedom of others here in Florida. You are a terrible excuse for a human, lesser than one to even spew such nonsense. Shame on you, these people are heros and everyone I know thinks the same.

  15. John Taylor

    You’re the idiot, “Antonio Maserruci” (fake name) and clearly ignorant. Expressing yourself as a 60’s Woodstock hippy does nothing to erase damaging Cheech & Chong stigmas that have plagued successful stoners like myself for years. You are completely wrong in your assessment of “100% guaranteed to be someone who has done nothing for legalization.” I’m proud to say my wife and I donated money, but more importantly our time making over 10,000 phone calls to voters to vote YES on Amendment 64. I also own a Hemp Co. that donates 15% of our proceeds to pro-cannabis agendas we deem worthy. You’re a terrible excuse for a human. Shame on you and your crew who think these guys are heroes. My Florida friends and everyone I know who actually work in the Cannabis & Hemp Industries think these guys are a clown show, and they look the part in those moronic clown costumes. Thank Jah these clowns didn’t run the Amendment 64 campaign.

  16. Terrence McKay

    John Taylor, what does Amendment 64 and your random Hemp Co. have to do with people here paying for the signing of petitions or anything in this article? Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and help Florida if you are so worried about what people wear here in a state where you don’t live? You sound like an ignorant and judgemental wannabe to be totally honest here but that typical of an out of touch hemp-cbd pusher that doesn’t even reside in Florida. You trying to tell the people here with boots on the ground what to do or how to look to suit some imagined standard you’ve been brainwashed with is almost as bad as the war on drugs, I guess you don’t understand the cannabis culture. You are out of touch and the “making over 10,000 phone calls” is hysterical you are simply full of it! I call BS. Go get back to pushing your snake oil hemp-cbd and hanging out with your stuffy rich friends in penguin suits.

  17. Daryl Strickland

    The Stoner Stigma has been the worst advocate ever for medical cannabis! Everyone against cannabis thinks that it burns brain cells like leaves 🍁

  18. Kimberly P

    This isn’t about Medical, this is about legalization without discrimination. Homegrow is a must for all adults in Florida, the med program is way too limited and it costs hundreds of dollars just to be a patient to begin with before you even can buy anything. People need access without having to get an MMJ card, and we must have homegrow! Go Regulate Florida we are behind you guys and Sunshine Cannabis 1000%! Thank you for reaching supreme court review status today, I saw the news on Facebook! Major milestone reached, keep it up.

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