Florida recreational pot initiative nears 50,000 signatures

Mixed reaction on medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida Circle K gas stations

The Florida Department of Health says there are more than 700,000 Floridians with medical marijuana cards. Getting their hands on their ganja is about to get a lot easier.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Nearly 50,000 valid petition signatures have been submitted to the state in an effort to pass a constitutional amendment that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, according to numbers posted Wednesday on the Florida Division of Elections website.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, totaled 49,692 valid signatures.

The "Adult Personal Use of Marijuana" proposal would allow people 21 or older "to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for nonmedical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise."

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Backers are trying to get the proposal on the 2024 ballot, eight years after voters approved a measure authorizing medical marijuana. To reach the ballot, the political committee will have to submit 891,589 valid signatures and receive Florida Supreme Court approval of the proposed wording.

Trulieve, the state’s largest medical-marijuana company, has spent $10 million on the initiative, records show.