Politics
Most Trump And Harris Supporters Back Marijuana Rescheduling, But GOP Candidate’s Base Is More Likely To View Cannabis Laws As ‘Important’
A majority of voters—including supporters of former President Donald Trump—back the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana, according to a new poll. And notably, Trump supporters are more likely to say that cannabis laws are important them, compared to those supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
The YouGov poll, which was released on Friday, looks at how voters view a variety of crime-related issues, including marijuana policy, ahead of next month’s election.
It found that, overall, more people say they trust the Democratic nominee to handle cannabis laws (27 percent), compared to the GOP candidate (20 percent). But more Trump supporters say marijuana issues are important them (17 percent) than Harris supporters (11 percent).
That said, an issue being “important” to a voter doesn’t necessarily mean they favor reform.
Which crime issues are most important to registered voters?
For Harris supporters: Gun policy
For Trump supporters: Police fundinghttps://t.co/AuG2qVD6nu pic.twitter.com/kEKRg81xn2— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) October 27, 2024
Asked their opinions about both candidates’ crime policies, respondents across the aisle said they back the Biden administration’s effort to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). That includes 86 percent of Harris supporters and 51 percent of Trump supporters.
Among registered voters overall, 69 percent back marijuana rescheduling.
How popular are Harris' and Trump's crime policy agendas?
• Harris' crime policies are, on average, more popular than Trump's
• Majorities of registered voters favor Harris-backed proposals for universal background checks and prison-reentry programshttps://t.co/AuG2qVD6nu pic.twitter.com/POi5XcOaAj— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) October 27, 2024
Trump himself has voiced support for rescheduling, as well as marijuana industry banking access and a Florida adult-use legalization ballot initiative.
Harris, meanwhile, recently reaffirmed her support for federally legalizing marijuana—a position she says is largely informed by her understanding that cannabis criminalization has disproportionately impacted Black and brown communities.
The survey respondents were also asked about whether they knew whether specific policies were promoted by either candidate, and majorities also recognized that Harris has pushed for reclassifying cannabis, including 73 percent of the Democratic nominee’s supporters and 55 percent of Trump supporters.
Among voters overall, 63 percent believe Harris backs cannabis rescheduling while only 24 percent think Trump is in favor of the reform.
Do voters know which crime policies are supported by Kamala Harris and Donald Trump?https://t.co/AuG2qVD6nu pic.twitter.com/ims2V0WAGY
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) October 27, 2024
YouGov’s poll involved interviews with 1,122 adults, including 1,028 registered voters, from September 25-27. The margin of error was +/- 4 percentage points.
While this is the first election in U.S. history where both major party candidates are in favor of decriminalizing marijuana, the Harris campaign has been leaning more strongly into her reform position in recent weeks.
For example, last week Harris included legalizing marijuana as one of the top items on her “to-do list” if she wins the presidential election.
That came just weeks after the vice president first pledged to federally legalize marijuana since becoming the party’s nominee, promising that access to cannabis will become “the law of the land.”
If elected, she will “break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back by legalizing marijuana nationally, working with Congress to ensure that the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land,” the Harris campaign said.
Also, last month, Harris made clear she still supports legalizing cannabis, which she previously pushed for as a senator but had not publicly discussed since becoming President Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020.
Separately, she also recently said that part of the reason for the delay in the administration’s current marijuana rescheduling effort is federal bureaucracy that “slows things down,” including at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), has also been talking cannabis policy on the campaign trail. Last week, for example, he stressed that marijuana legalization must be coupled with policies that give those who’ve been disproportionately targeted by criminalization “the first shot to make money” in the legal cannabis industry.
While Harris and Walz are aligned in their belief that prohibition should be replaced with a system of legalization and regulation, the governor has largely focused on the rights of states to set their own cannabis laws, rather than weigh in on federal legalization prospects.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), has voiced support for letting states decide on their own marijuana policies, though he’s also said they should increase enforcement activities and complained about the smell of cannabis multiple times. Additionally, he’s repeatedly sounded the alarm about fentanyl-laced marijuana, though he more recently conceded that the issue isn’t widespread.
The Harris–Walz campaign, meanwhile, has accused Trump of lying about his support for marijuana reform—arguing that his “blatant pandering” runs counter to his administration’s record on cannabis.
Following Trump’s recent announcement of support for the Florida cannabis legalization ballot measure, the Democratic campaign has been working to communicate to voters that, while in office, Trump “took marijuana reform backwards.”
Also, on Thursday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said Harris’s support for marijuana legalization is part of the nominee’s “freedom agenda.” He made the remarks at an event hosted by musician and marijuana icon Willie Nelson on Thursday.
