Florida Supreme Court Declines Cannabis Campaign’s Appeal to Save 2026 Ballot Bid

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Smart & Safe Florida to restore signatures supporting the campaign’s 2026 cannabis legalization bid.

The signatures in question, about 70,000, were disqualified by Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd under new rules approved by lawmakers last year that made the signature-gathering process for voter ballot initiatives in the state more difficult. The campaign sued to overturn the rules, but an appeals court ruled in the state’s favor.

The appeal was the campaign’s last-ditch effort to qualify for this year’s ballot — the court already canceled oral arguments on the issue last month after the state announced the campaign had fallen short of the ballot qualification threshold. With the appeal rejected, the campaign’s last chance to qualify for November’s ballot has passed.

The justices voted 6-1 to decline the appeal, with only Justice Jorge Labarga in dissent.

Florida voters considered and nearly approved an adult-use cannabis legalization amendment in 2024, but the proposal only achieved 56% of the vote. Under state law, ballot proposals to amend the state’s constitution require a 60% supermajority to pass.

The 2024 and 2026 legalization campaigns were both opposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who pushed the effort last year to hinder the voter ballot initiative process.