Access to marijuana and abortion in Florida will not be expanding. A majority of voters said yes to both citizen initiatives, Amendments 3 and 4, but neither met the 60 percent threshold needed to pass.
“57 percent of Floridians said we did not want a six-week abortion ban,” Democratic Party of Florida Chair Nikki Fried told supporters in Orlando Tuesday night.
Florida is among the first states to reject a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access since Roe V Wade was overturned in 2022.
“Unfortunately more women are going to die in the South because of these strict abortion bans and we continue to fight every single day,” Fried said.
With Republicans maintaining a supermajority in both chambers, it’s unlikely the state will pass any laws expanding abortion.
Florida Voice for the Unborn founder Andrew Shirvell said in a statement that it’s time to build on the 6-week ban. He said the only way to do that is “for the Legislature to pass complete legal protections for unborn children, from the moment of conception.”
A majority of people also supported legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, with 56 percent of the vote. Smart and Safe Florida, the group that got the proposal on the ballot, is also looking to the legislature to make changes.
In a statement, it said, “We are eager to work with the governor and legislative leaders who agree with us on decriminalizing recreational marijuana for adults, addressing public consumption, continuing our focus on child safety, and expanding access to safe marijuana through home grow.”
Amendment 3 did have wide bipartisan support.
Only two of Florida’s six amendments got 60 percent support. Amendment 2 enshrines the right to fish and hunt in the state constitution and Amendment 5 ties the homestead exemption to the national inflation rate.
This 60% rule is very suspicious. Yet another way ‘the man’ keeps us down.