Voters in Florida rejected ballot measures that would have protected abortion rights and legalized recreational marijuana, as they failed to garner the necessary 60 percent support, The Associated Press reported. The abortion measure would have prevented laws restricting abortion access before the fetus is viable, which happens after 21 weeks of pregnancy—so the state’s harsh six-week abortion ban will remain in place. The marijuana measure would have allowed Floridians 21 and older to own about 3 ounces of the drug for recreational use. It also would have allowed businesses that already grow and sell marijuana for medical purposes—which is legal in Florida—to do so for recreational use. The outcome was a win for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who campaigned strongly against the measures, arguing, for one, that the smell of marijuana would have hurt the state’s tourism. Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee and a Florida resident, had supported the measure to legalize marijuana. After the result, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter celebrated on X, writing, “YAY!!!! The vote on Florida’s pot initiative was as important to me as the presidential election.”
