Florida voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana for adults at least 21 years old and allowed them to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.

It failed to meet the required 60% threshold as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration attempts to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Florida’s Republican-dominated government has long opposed the legalization of marijuana.

“Although the results of Amendment 3 did not cross the 60 percent threshold, we look forward to working with the governor and legislative leaders who agree with us on decriminalizing recreational marijuana for adults, on public consumption, on continuing our focus on child safety, and on expanding access to safe marijuana through home cultivation,” said

We want to express our sincere gratitude to the majority of Florida voters who voted yes on Amendment 3 and to all those who supported us in this effort. We remain committed to advocating for a smarter, safer Florida and will continue to work toward solutions that benefit all Floridians,” said a statement from Smart & Safe Florida, the political group leading the campaign for the measure.

The committee has raised a grand total of $152.27 million in cash and $959,000 in in-kind contributions since its inception in 2022, according to the latest report on the state Division of Elections website.

Approval of the marijuana measure would not have immediately made marijuana legal in Florida. That would have allowed the Florida Legislature to create regulations or decide how to implement the amendment during the legislative session that begins in March.

Republican officials in Florida were mixed on their support for the ballot measure. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders opposed the measure, with DeSantis saying it only benefits big marijuana companies and would leave the smell of marijuana in the air.

But former President Donald Trump expressed support in early September for the measure and a possible federal policy change to reclassify marijuana. He said he would vote in favor of the initiative, one of the few positions he and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris agreed on.

A 2014 medical marijuana ballot initiative failed to reach the required 60% threshold to pass. In 2016, then-Gov. Rick Scott approved a law allowing medical marijuana for patients with terminal illnesses, and the same year, Florida voters approved a referendum that expanded access to people suffering from illnesses including HIV, PTSD , Parkinson’s disease or Crohn’s disease.

WLRN news staff contributed to this report.

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