Legalized recreational marijuana failed to get the vote in FL, what’s next?

The CEO of Truelieve, the largest medical marijuana company and biggest funder of the ‘yes on 3’ campaign is looking ahead after Florida voters failed to approve an amendment that would have made recreational marijuana legal for adults in the state.

“Of course, we’re disappointed that we didn't hit that 60% but the fact that we got well over 50% was a Herculean effort and I look forward to continuing to move the ball down the field,” Kim Rivers said on Wednesday.

Amendment 3 needed at least 60% voter approval to pass; it fell short at 57% (with 99% of precincts reporting).

But with more than half of Florida voters giving recreational marijuana the green light, Rivers hopes the numbers will be a new motivator for lawmakers to look at expanding weed rights with legislation that would help decriminalize cannabis and help curb an illicit black market.

“I think part of the conversation was hey, we don't want to see this in the Constitution, but we think the legislature can really address this in an impactful way and we agree,” she said.

The amendment to legalize marijuana in Florida was among the most contentious measures on the ballot this election season. Its biggest opponent is the state’s most powerful elected leader, Governor Ron DeSantis. The Governor faced criticism for using taxpayer funds for an ad campaign and held a series of state-sponsored press conferences to aggressively oppose the amendment.

During one recent appearance, DeSantis told an audience, “It’s going to do damage to young people, the question is how much?”

While early polls suggested Amendment 3 had strong support among voters and was on its way to a sweeping victory, just before election day, polls showed a dip. Insiders pointed to the Governor’s outspoken and aggressive opposition campaign as a reason for the drop.

On election day, hours before the final tally, Rivers didn’t rule out a potential court battle with the Governor over his use of taxpayer funds to defeat the amendment.

“I think it's our responsibility as citizens and as taxpayers to hold our government accountable, right,” she said Tuesday.

By Wednesday, her tune shifted to being less interested in a court fight and more interested in having a conversation with state decision-makers on how to keep recreational pot on the table in Florida.

“In the midst of a campaign, things get heated, and the opposing sides are really in the trenches. But this morning, when we’ve had a chance to do the analysis, we're like, you know, wow, a lot of this sets forth a roadmap that has more things that we're agreeing on than disagreeing on,” she said.