Poll: Recreational pot amendment has just enough support to pass

There’s just enough support among Florida voters to pass Amendment 3 and make recreational pot legal, thanks to overwhelming support among Democrats and just enough backing from Republicans, new polling shows.

Sixty percent of voters in the state are for the measure, which would allow adults 21 and older to possess, purchase and use pot products in the state. That’s the minimum level of support necessary for it to pass.

Another 34% oppose legalization, while 6% are unsure.

Florida Atlantic University’s PolCom Lab and Mainstreet Research USA conducted the survey. More men than women back legalization (63% to 58%). Voters 18-49 are also warmer to the idea than their older counterparts (69% to 54%).

Despite former President Donald Trump giving an endorsement to Amendment 3 last month, his supporters largely remain disinclined to vote for it.

A whopping 80% of respondents who say they voted for Joe Biden in 2020 said they’re supporting Amendment 3, and 81.4% of those now backing Kamala Harris say the same. Just 43% of Trump voters agree with them.

The divide is similar along party lines, with 82.6% of Democrats in support of Amendment 3, compared to 42.4% of Republicans. Independent voters are more for than against it, with 63.2% of third- and no-party respondents confirming they’ll vote “yes” on the measure.

Pollsters surveyed 913 registered voters in the state in English and Spanish Oct. 19-27. A margin of error technically can’t be applied to the poll, since it was partially completed online, but a poll of this size would normally have a 3.2-percentage-point margin of error at the 95% confidence level.

If approved on Nov. 5, Amendment 3 would decriminalize nonmedical cannabis consumption and purchases. Adults of drinking age in Florida would also be able to possess up to 3 ounces of unconcentrated pot and up to 5 grams of it in concentrated form.

Several other recent polls placed Amendment 3 at or around the 60% mark, though one last week by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab found it had 66% support statewide.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose administration has fought against Amendment 3 and the pro-abortion Amendment 4 ballot measure, predicted that most Floridians will support both, but not at the level necessary for them to pass.