Miami Beach’s cannabis story going into 2026 is less about dispensaries on Ocean Drive and more about enforcement, public-consumption rules, and whether Florida voters get another statewide legalization question.

In recent years, Miami Beach has signaled a tougher posture on marijuana in its busiest entertainment corridors—particularly South Beach and Ocean Drive—where public-order priorities intensify during peak tourism periods. The city has emphasized that narcotics and marijuana remain illegal in public spaces, alongside other quality-of-life rules that are heavily enforced in the tourism core.

That enforcement climate was sharpened in 2024 when the Miami Beach City Commission moved to remove an option that allowed civil citations (instead of criminal enforcement) for low-level marijuana possession. Local reporting described the policy shift as part of a broader effort to tighten rules ahead of spring break. The practical implication for Ocean Drive is straightforward: even if broader reform momentum builds statewide, Miami Beach is likely to keep drawing a bright line around public use and “street-level” consumption in high-visibility tourist areas.

The biggest potential 2026 change sits at the state level. The political engine behind Florida’s last adult-use attempt has been working to qualify a new legalization measure for the 2026 ballot, and the campaign has also been in high-profile legal fights over the state’s signature-verification process. Ballot summaries of the 2026 proposal describe a structure that legalizes adult possession and use for those 21+—but still prohibits smoking or vaping in public spaces.

For Ocean Drive, that detail matters: even in a “legal adult-use” Florida, public smoking or vaping would remain off-limits under the measure’s design, meaning Miami Beach could continue enforcing public-consumption restrictions much as it does today—just with the underlying “possession” legality changed for adults in private settings.

Reform advocates also enter 2026 with clear lessons from 2024, when Florida’s adult-use Amendment 3 received a majority but fell short of the state’s 60% requirement. That near-miss has kept South Florida’s advocacy network active—especially around voter education, ballot access, and civil-liberties framing.

Key cannabis reform and advocacy groups active in Florida and South Florida include:

• Smart & Safe Florida
• Miami NORML
• NORML (Florida chapters hub)
• Florida Cannabis Action Network (FLCAN)
• ACLU of Florida
• Marijuana Policy Project (Florida)

In short, Miami Beach’s 2026 cannabis outlook is a tale of two tracks: a statewide reform push that could legalize adult use while still banning public consumption—and a local enforcement culture on Ocean Drive that is likely to remain strict wherever “public use” is concerned.