A recent poll conducted by telephone survey, using landlines and cell phones, of 814 registered Florida voters shows Amendment 2 may not have the votes to be approved in November. While other polls have shown support for medical cannabis as high as 88% in the Sunshine State, some of the latests polls are showing less support for Amendment 2, including a poll last week that showed support for Amendment 2 at 64%, the Florida Decides poll is showing support for Amendment 2 to be at 57%. In order for Amendment 2 to be approved and enacted, it must be approved by at least 60%. 

florida-new-poll

Voters Surveyed on Medical Cannabis and Amendment 2

The poll was conducted for the Tampa Bay Times, Bay News 9, and News 13 by the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service and Bureau of Economic and Business Research. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%. Voters were first told, “Some people believe that marijuana should be allowed for medicinal purposes, such as helping with the side effects of chemotherapy. Others believe that allowing medicinal uses of marijuana will just lead to more recreational use of the drug,” and were then asked, “Do you A) Support medical marijuana use; B) Oppose medical marijuana use; or C) Haven’t thought much about this?” 58% answered that they support medical marijuana use, 30% said they opposed medical marijuana use, 9% said they hadn’t thought about it much, and 1% said they don’t know.

Voters were then surveyed about Amendment 2, being told, “This fall’s ballot includes Amendment 2, which “Allows the medical use of marijuana … as determined by a licensed Florida physician.”” They were then asked, “Do you think you will A) Vote Yes; B) Vote No;  or C) Haven’t thought much about this?” 57% said they would vote for Amendment 2, 23% said they would not, 17% said they hadn’t thought about it much, and 1% said they don’t know. While opponents of Amendment 2 claim many who support medical cannabis do not support Amendment 2 because it is too radical and broad, the Florida Decides poll seems to show that no such large gap exists between those who support medical cannabis and those who support Amendment 2.

Morgan Remains Confident Amendment 2 Will Pass

Given the margin of error, and the percent of people who have either not thought about it much or don’t know, it is likely Amendment 2 would still pass. Attorney John Morgan, one of the biggest backers of Amendment 2, remains confident Amendment 2 will pass, telling the News Press, “No, I’m not worried at all.  You know, if Amendment 2 fails, it’s not for me; it’s for everybody. If it ever happened that I needed medical marijuana, I’d go to one of the 20 states (where it’s legal) and get it. Some people can’t. If it fails, it doesn’t impact my life at all. But I’m not worried because, again, I believe that the people of Florida are compassionate, I believe that they get it, they understand that this is not really a political issue, it’s a medical issue.”