A poll released Thursday shows overwhelming support among Florida voters for legalizing medical marijuana. By an 82-to-16 margin, the Quinnipiac University poll shows that voters support allowing adults to use pot for medicinal reasons with a doctor’s prescription.
Support is wide-ranging for a proposed constitutional amendment to that effect, crossing all political, racial, age and gender groups. Republicans support medical marijuana by 70% to 26%, Democrats by 87% to 11%.
Pollster Peter Brown says it appears the biggest hurdle the amendment will face is simply getting on the ballot."It would be surprising if that makes it on the ballot and doesn’t pass", Brown said. "Normally on ballot items you see some slippage as you get closer to the election, but it’d have to slip a long, long way."
Due to the broad support for medical marijuana among voters, Brown is unsure what effect the proposed amendment will have on the governor’s race.
Legislative leaders and Attorney General Pam Bondi have asked the state Supreme Court to keep the measure off the ballot. The court will hear the case in December.