Politics
9 In 10 Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana In Some Form, Including Bipartisan Majorities, Pew Poll Shows
An overwhelming majority of Americans—nearly nine in 10—support legalizing marijuana in some form, according to newly released polling data from the Pew Research Center.
Asked about cannabis policy preferences, 87 percent of respondents said they agreed with enacting reform. Fifty-four percent said marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational purposes, while 33 percent said it should be exclusively legal for medical use.
Only 12 percent of U.S. adults think cannabis should remain prohibited across the board.
The survey also showed majority support for legalization in some form across every demographic—including age, race and political party affiliation.
Via Pew Research Center.
Democrats were most in favor of reform, with 93 percent in favor—including a 66 percent majority who say marijuana should be legalized across the board for both recreational and medical use.
A majority of Republicans (81 percent) also back some kind of legalization, including a plurality (43 percent) who said it should be legal for medical and recreational purposes.
“Support for marijuana legalization has increased dramatically in recent decades,” Pew said.
This data—which was collected January 27-February 2 from 5,086 American adults and released on Tuesday—builds upon a growing body of research showing rapidly shifting public opinions on marijuana prohibition, with an ever-increasing number of people expressing opposition to criminalizing people over cannabis.
Via Pew Research Center.
Pew also noted the results of an earlier survey from last year that highlighted views on the societal impacts of recreational legalization, with a majority (52 percent) saying the reform is “good” for local economies. A 42 percent plurality additionally agreed that legalization would make the criminal justice system “more fair.”
Another recent survey from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), which was conducted by the firm Forbes Tate Partners, found that seven in 10 American voters want to see the end of federal marijuana prohibition—and nearly half say they’d view the Trump administration more favorably if it took action on the issue.
A poll released last month that Marijuana Moment partnered on with the cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD showed that a majority of marijuana consumers disapprove of the Trump administration’s actions on cannabis policy to date, but there’s also a significant willingness among users to shift their position if the federal government opts to reschedule or legalize marijuana.
Earlier this year, meanwhile, a firm associated with President Donald Trump—Fabrizio, Lee & Associates—also polled Americans on a series of broader marijuana policy issues. Notably, it found that a majority of Republicans back cannabis rescheduling—and, notably, they’re even more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal interference compared to the average voter.
Meanwhile, Trump is facing scrutiny from advocates who had hoped to see him complete the cannabis rescheduling process. While Trump endorsed the proposal—as well as industry banking access and a Florida legalization ballot initiative, on the campaign trail last year—he’s since been publicly silent on the issue.
As part of his latest budget request, the president also again proposed to remove existing protections for states that have legalized medical marijuana, while maintaining a ban that’s prevented Washington, D.C. from enacting a system of regulated adult-use cannabis sales.
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In May, a Senate committee advanced the confirmation of Terrance Cole to become the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) amid the ongoing review of a marijuana rescheduling proposal that he’s refused to commit to enacting.
Cole—who has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth—said he would “give the matter careful consideration after consulting with appropriate personnel within the Drug Enforcement Administration, familiarizing myself with the current status of the regulatory process, and reviewing all relevant information.”
However, during an in-person hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in April, he said examining the rescheduling proposal will be “one of my first priorities” if he was confirmed for the role, saying it’s “time to move forward” on the stalled process—but again without clarifying what end result he would like to see.
Separately in April, an activist who received a pardon for a marijuana-related conviction during Trump’s first term paid a visit to the White House, discussing future clemency options with the recently appointed “pardon czar.”
A marijuana industry-backed political action committee (PAC) has also released a series of ads over recent months that have attacked Biden’s cannabis policy record as well as the nation of Canada, promoting sometimes misleading claims about the last administration while making the case that Trump can deliver on reform.
Its latest ad accused former President Joe Biden and his DEA of waging a “deep state war” against medical cannabis patients—but without mentioning that the former president himself initiated the rescheduling process that marijuana companies want to see completed under Trump.
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
