Marijuana could be legal in half of US states after the 2024 election

The movement to legalize marijuana is gaining momentum ahead of the 2024 elections.

Proposals to legalize recreational cannabis are on the ballot in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Florida. As of today, 38 states and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of marijuana, while 24 have legalized it for recreational use. Legalizing cannabis in Florida would undoubtedly have the biggest impact, as it is one of the two most populous states that has not yet allowed recreational use – the other being Texas.

Ballot initiatives in the Sunshine State face an additional hurdle because they require a majority of voters. But if base energy is any indication, Amendment 3 could be on track to exceed the 60 percent threshold in Florida. As executive director of Students for Freedom, a Generation Z-led political committee that works on campus to get Florida college students to vote YES, and universities at large State visited.

As you can imagine, persuasion isn't that much of a challenge in this race. Generation Z is overwhelmingly in favor of legalization. About 69 percent of voters under 50 support the change, according to an August Florida Atlantic University poll. While the Dakotas and Nebraska are conservative states across the board, polls suggest the prospects for their respective ballot measures to legalize recreational cannabis are at least uncertain – a testament to the potential of referendums to pass progressive policies despite a bleak partisan landscape say goodbye.

Instead, Florida is about voter turnout. A number of candidates are reportedly relying on ballot initiatives like Amendment 3 to boost performance across all ballots – a stunning finding in what many people are calling “the most important presidential election of our lifetime.”

As part of this turnout, we registered students to vote and discussed their voting options on campus. We brought bounce houses to campus so students could get “High for Amendment 3.” We lined up at the tailgates and handed out custom hats, stickers, t-shirts and papers. We dropped off thousands of Amendment 3 flyers in dorms and campus apartments. We sent tens of thousands of text messages—and made just as many calls—to college students in Florida, offering them election information tailored to their campus. And after October 22, when early voting began in most counties, we sent dozens of golf carts and buses to the University of Florida and Florida State University to take students directly to the polls.

Critics of Amendment 3 are much more lonesome in their opposition. Perhaps the only notable voice against recreational use is Ron DeSantis, as the embattled governor's expected allies in the Republican Party have not uniformly supported his position. Even former President Donald Trump appears to be reading the tea leaves, snubbing DeSantis by endorsing Amendment 3 in September.

Without the unified support of his party, DeSantis instead used state government to try to defeat Amendment 3. For example, the taxpayer-funded Florida Department of Children and Families, which DeSantis oversees, posted notices on its website and other public channels claiming that Amendment 3 was dangerous to children.

These efforts by the DeSantis administration run counter to the idea that the government should remain neutral and impartial on voting issues, and some legal experts argue that Desantis' heavy-handed actions may violate state and federal laws.

But Florida voters will have the final say. And if public opinion polls are to be believed, it will be a stunning rebuke to the governor's position.