April 19, 2025
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida voters rejected ballot measures Tuesday to weaken abortion restrictions and legalize marijuana, handing victories to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and solidifying the state's new reputation as a conservative stronghold.
DeSantis used state resources and campaigned heavily against each issue, telling voters that whether they were for or against marijuana or abortion rights, the measures were flawed, poorly worded, and would likely never be repealed if enshrined in the state constitution.
“We fought the good fight, we kept the faith, and we finished the race. Thanks to @GovRonDeSantis and our great team for everything they sacrificed over the past months to protect our great state from amendments that sought to attack our families and way of life,” DeSantis' chief of staff, James Uthmeier said on X, where DeSantis simply posted that both issues were defeated.
The pro-abortion measure would have prevented lawmakers from passing any law that penalized, prohibited, delayed, or restricted abortion until fetal viability, which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks. The state’s six-week abortion law still stands. Florida is one of the first states to reject abortion rights in a ballot measure since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
The marijuana measure would have allowed people 21 years old and older to possess about 3 ounces of marijuana, and it would have allowed businesses already growing and selling medical marijuana to sell it to them.
