The Industry
- More than half of adult Americans have legal access to recreational cannabis for adult use. 24 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized adult-use cannabis.[1]
- In total, 74% of adult Americans have access to cannabis through either medical or adult use.[2]
- The industry is sustainable and growing. In 2020, when the state lost more than 400,000 jobs, Florida’s cannabis industry added 15,000 employees.
- More than 40 countries worldwide have already legalized medical or adult-use cannabis.
- According to the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference, tax revenues from the cannabis industry for federal and state governments are projected to reach $431 million annually if adult use of marijuana is legalized.[3]
- According to Forbes, cannabis tourism in the US is at least a $17 billion industry.[4]
Criminal Justice & Legal Issues
- Of the approximately one-quarter of a million drug arrests in the United States in 2022, 92% were for simple possession of marijuana only, costing taxpayers untold billions of dollars in detaining these individuals as well as clogging the court system with proceedings for relatively minor infractions.[1]
- Legalization has led to a decrease in gang violence and has hurt Mexican cartels which now have a smaller market in the US.[2]
- According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, recreational cannabis legalization has not been associated with any increase in adolescent marijuana use and has been associated with a decrease in adolescent alcohol and e-cigarette use.[3]
- The continued Illicit market sale of marijuana perpetuates a culture of criminality.
Safety & Responsibility
- Illicit market cannabis is a large unknown – consumers cannot be sure what is in their cannabis. A recent Florida House of Representatives hearing revealed that approximately 90% of illicit marijuana confiscated by law enforcement and tested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement tested positive for harmful chemicals or additives such as pesticides or other drugs like fentanyl. That is why third-party lab testing of all marijuana products sold in the state is so important to ensuring the safety of Floridians.
- Per the DEA, “any drugs not purchased or obtained from a licensed and accredited medical facility are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal.”