US EditionCampaign to legalize recreational marijuana takes DeSantis administration to state Supreme Court
Smart and Safe Florida claims Secretary of State Cord Byrd ignored procedures despite 662,000 verified signatures, seeking court order to enforce ballot access rules.
- Smart and Safe Florida filed a writ of mandamus with the Florida Supreme Court after alleging officials failed to follow procedures for the 2026 ballot, on Oct. 30.
- Amid these rules, petition groups say Smart and Safe Florida surpassed the verification threshold in June, while HB 1205, effective July 1, added stricter petition rules and a volunteer restriction the courts question.
- As of Oct. 31, Smart and Safe Florida has over 662,000 verified signatures and needs a total of 880,062 by Feb. 1 amid an Oct. 14 lawsuit against Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
- The petition requests that the court order officials to verify signatures and submit petitions, while Attorney General James Uthmeier must transmit language for ballot review; a Florida Department of State spokesperson declined comment.
- The group says the Florida Constitution reserves citizen-initiative rights and urged the court to intervene, noting `For reasons unknown, this has not happened and we are asking the court to intervene and compel the Secretary to simply follow longstanding Florida law as the Smart & Safe Florida has far surpassed that threshold last summer`.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Tallahassee Reports
News Service of FloridaLawsuit Accuses State of Holding Up Pot Measure
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Accusing state elections officials of “ignoring the indisputable facts and their clear legal obligation,” backers of a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to allow recreational use of marijuana are asking the Florida Supreme Court to force Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to move forward with a ballot-approval process. The Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is sponsoring …
Campaign to legalize recreational pot going to Fla. Supreme Court
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida is suing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration in the state's Supreme Court, alleging state elections officials are trying to improperly block the measure from getting on the ballot in…
Florida Marijuana Legalization Campaign Sues State Over 'Nonsensical' Delay In Ballot Initiative Review
A Florida campaign working to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the 2026 ballot has filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court, alleging that officials are violating election laws by stalling a required review process for the measure without justification. Smart & Safe Florida filed a petition for writ of mandamus in the Supreme Court on Thursday, arguing that the secretary of state has failed to comply with a statutory mandate to “im…
‘Nonsensical’: Pro-marijuana group sues DeSantis administration. Again
David Burr demonstrates removing leaves on marijuana plants to allow more light for growth at Essence Vegas’ 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)The group behind a statewide push to legalize recreational marijuana filed suit against the DeSantis administration Friday for allegedly slow-walking the process to put its proposed amendment on the Florida ballot. S…
Associated Press News
Campaign to legalize recreational marijuana takes DeSantis administration to state Supreme Court
The campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida is suing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration in the state’s Supreme Court.
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