Florida has a math problem when it comes to cannabis

The Florida Smart & Safe Recreational Cannabis Campaign has secured and verified over 1 million signatures. About 0.5% of the population has chosen to use marijuana recreationally. Despite the support, the group must seek approval from the Florida Supreme Court before a general vote can take place.

Florida’s elected leaders appear to have a problem at odds with the public. In a Pew Research poll, only 10% of the population want marijuana to be illegal. A whopping 89% believe medical marijuana should be available to everyone, and 59% believe it should be used recreationally with alcohol.

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“I think it’s going to be an uphill battle and I think it could go either way,” Constitutional Attorney Will Cooper told WFLA. “The key is the Florida Supreme Court. They have been very aggressive in the past and put down these initiatives related to marijuana use in Florida.”

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said he would take action against the proposed amendment. Moody’s communications director said it’s important for Florida residents to know what they’re voting for. Again, they’re not sure if Florida citizens are smart enough to understand.

Florida has twice approved medical marijuana. More than 55% of states voted in favor the first time, but the Florida governor and court said they were ill-informed and refused to allow the law to pass. Then, in November 2016, Florida residents voted again on a constitutional amendment allowing medical cannabis into the state. The amendment passed with 71.3% of voters for the initiative. Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to take the process extremely slowly. Currently, the state has 501 pharmacy locations for a population of 21 million. Florida also has 1,790 specialty liquor stores, excluding convenience stores (over 9,500), bars, restaurants and grocery stores (over 4,000).

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This fight is commonplace as they deal with two other major issues that can derail the Sunshine State. Educators at both public and private universities report large-scale staff losses and struggle to fill vacancies that were once coveted. There is a brain drain in the higher education system and people are refusing to move to the state for high-paying technical jobs. The state must rely on service workers to generate more taxes.

The second reason is the rising cost of home insurance as four national insurance companies refuse to cover Florida. The problem is so serious that there are fears that the real estate market could collapse.

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Twenty percent of the state’s population is over 65 years old. According to data in the Journal of the American Medical Association, patients suffering from pain, cancer, anxiety, and insomnia report significant, sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life after using medical marijuana.

This is a part of the population that can benefit directly from better and legal access. So when it comes to legal cannabis, the will of the public and the actions of the state simply don’t go together.