Jimmy Buffett Lends Support for Florida's Recreational Marijuana Initiative

To no one's surprise, Jimmy Buffett, famous for his "Cheeseburger in Paradise" anthem and Coral Reefer brand, has endorsed the Make It Legal Florida campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in the Sunshine State.

"Pot, weed, marijuana, cannabis — whatever you call it, it's good medicine," Buffett says in a video released by the campaign today. "Make it legal."

Make It Legal Florida has received verified 190,000 signatures in support of its adult-use marijuana initiative and says it is waiting for thousands more to be verified by supervisors of elections around the state. To make the upcoming election ballot, the initiative must collect 766,200 verified signatures by February 2020.

"Perceptions of cannabis are changing, and Florida's adults understand that legalizing adult-use marijuana will expand access to a wellness product many can't benefit from today," says Nick Hansen, chairman of Make it Legal Florida.

Make It Legal would allow individuals age 21 years and older to use and purchase marijuana. However, the initiative would prohibit cannabis grown at home, only allowing it to be purchased at dispensaries currently selling medical marijuana. Just this week, an initiative sponsored by Regulate Florida died after failing to receive enough signatures with the looming deadline.

Earlier this year, Buffett partnered with Parallel, formerly Surterra Wellness, to launch his own marijuana brand, also called Coral Reefer.

"Life is supposed to be about having fun and staying healthy enough to enjoy it," Buffett said at the time. "I think Coral Reefer will help a lot of folks do that."

Three different polls this year have revealed strong bipartisan for adult-use marijuana. If the initiative makes the ballot, it would need to receive 60 percent approval to pass.