TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 Local 10 News This Week In South Florida Anchor Glenna Milberg interviewed Glenn Burhans, Jr., a Tallahassee-based attorney, on Sunday about an effort to add a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot to legalize adult marijuana use in Florida.<\/p>\n
Burhans, of Stearns Weaver Miller<\/a>, is the general counsel for Smart & Safe Florida<\/a>, the political committee behind the \u201cAdult Personal Use of Marijuana\u201d ballot initiative 25-01<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIt should be hard to amend the Constitution, but it should not be virtually impossible,\u201d Burhans told Milberg about the obstacles the political committee has faced in the process. \u201cIt should not require tens of millions of dollars to get there.\u201d <\/p>\n Burhans said Smart & Safe Florida had filed two lawsuits against Secretary of State Cord Byrd<\/a> in Leon County court to \u201ccompel him to do his job,\u201d as required by state statute.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time was to send the petition to the attorney general, so he could request that the Florida Supreme Court review the ballot language,\u201d Burhans told Milberg. \u201cThis most recent case, just filed last week, involves compelling the secretary to report the verification totals on the division\u2019s website on a weekly basis.\u201d <\/p>\n The committee needs 880,062 signatures to file a petition for a constitutional amendment on the next Florida ballot<\/a> by Feb. 1, according to the Florida Division of Elections<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are actually very close to meeting the constitutional threshold,\u201d Burhans told Milberg.<\/p>\n As of Sunday, the committee reported having 714,888 valid signatures, about 80% of the signatures required. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen we look at what we have in the pipeline right now, and our continual efforts, we think we are going to make it, so we feel good about where we are,\u201d Burhans said.<\/p>\n Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier recently announced that Teagen Targhuhanuchi, 41, of Titusville, was arrested in a fraud case related to the petition. <\/p>\n