- 61 percent would vote to legalize medical marijuana for those with certain medical conditions
- 45 percent would vote to legalize marijuana for all uses
A new, exclusive News 13/Bay News 9 poll reveals that Florida voters are likely pass a second attempt to legalize medical marijuana.
The poll of 1,961 likely voters conducted this past weekend, found that 61 percent of all likely voters would vote in November for Amendment 2, which would change Florida's constitution to legalize medical marijuana for "individuals with debilitating medical conditions."
In Florida, constitutional amendments must get a 60 percent majority vote to be approved. The margin of error on our exclusive poll was +/- 2.2 percent, but 18 percent of our respondents said that at this time, they were uncertain about whether they will vote for Amendment 2.
“I think that this poll is very encouraging. I think that this poll shows that Floridians are ready for medical marijuana,” attorney Matt Morgan said.
In 2014, the medical marijuana amendment got a majority of the votes, but it didn't make it over the 60 percent threshold. But the medical marijuana issue returned to the ballot in January, when People United for Medical Marijuana, a group led by attorney John Morgan, got enough petition signatures to bring it back to the ballot.
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“Reasons to oppose it this time around are the same as they were the last time around," said Brian Empric, vice chairman of the Florida Federation of Young Republicans. "I think it will still be too easy to be able to get the prescription from a doctor.”
Voters don't back legalizing all forms of marijuana, the poll found. Only 45 percent of all registered voters surveyed would support legalizing all marijuana use.
The Florida Senate and House have recently passed House Bill 307 approving the use of medical marijuana for terminally ill patients.
The bill is awaiting Gov. Rick Scott’s signature. But supporters of Amendment 2 think the bill won’t help most people, so they’re pushing forward with their broader constitutional amendment.
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Detailed Poll Results
Q: On the ballot in November will be Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana for individuals with certain medical conditions. On Amendment 2, are you...
| All | Gender | Age | Race | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | White | Black | Asian/ Other |
||
| Yes | 61% | 63% | 59% | 72% | 67% | 63% | 49% | 60% | 68% | 61% |
| No | 21% | 23% | 20% | 11% | 19% | 23% | 27% | 23% | 10% | 19% |
| Not Certain | 18% | 14% | 21% | 17% | 14% | 14% | 25% | 17% | 22% | 20% |
| Composition of Likely November Voters |
100% | 48% | 52% | 13% | 25% | 32% | 29% | 82% | 12% | 6% |
| Political Affiliation | |||||||
| Strong Rep. |
Republican | Ind. lean Rep. |
Independent | Ind. lean Dem. |
Democrat | Strong Dem. |
|
| Yes | 36% | 55% | 58% | 74% | 81% | 71% | 74% |
| No | 44% | 26% | 20% | 10% | 7% | 14% | 10% |
| Not Certain | 20% | 20% | 22% | 16% | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Composition of Likely November Voters |
21% | 15% | 14% | 9% | 9% | 17% | 15% |
Surveyed: 1,961 likely November voters
Margin of sampling error: ± 2.2%
Q: Would you support or oppose a state constitutional amendment to legalize all forms of marijuana?
| All | Gender | Age | Race | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | White | Black | Asian/ Other |
||
| Support | 45% | 48% | 43% | 61% | 55% | 48% | 24% | 46% | 47% | 41% |
| Oppose | 41% | 40% | 42% | 25% | 29% | 41% | 62% | 42% | 32% | 41% |
| Not Sure | 14% | 11% | 16% | 14% | 16% | 11% | 14% | 12% | 20% | 19% |
| Composition of Registered Voters | 100% | 48% | 52% | 17% | 25% | 31% | 27% | 80% | 13% | 7% |
| Political Affiliation | |||||||
| Strong Rep. |
Republican | Ind. lean Rep. |
Independent | Ind. lean Dem. |
Democrat | Strong Dem. |
|
| Support | 23% | 38% | 43% | 51% | 65% | 59% | 56% |
| Oppose | 69% | 50% | 44% | 31% | 21% | 27% | 26% |
| Not Sure | 8% | 12% | 13% | 18% | 15% | 15% | 19% |
| Composition of Registered Voters | 20% | 15% | 14% | 10% | 9% | 17% | 15% |
Surveyed: 2,204 registered voters
Margin of sampling error: ± 2.1%
This Florida Decides Exclusive Statewide Poll was conducted by SurveyUSA from March 4-6. Pollsters surveyed 2,450 likely voters via home phones and smart devices. Respondents reachable on a home phone were interviewed on their home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents who were not reachable by home phone were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other device.