Politics
Three In Five Americans Say Adults Should Have A Right To Grow Their Own Marijuana Plants, Poll Finds
Nearly three in five Americans believe adults should have the right to grow their own marijuana, according to a new survey.
The Harris Poll, commissioned by the cannabis company Royal Queen Seeds, also found that 62 percent of marijuana consumers aged 21 and older say they’d prefer to cultivate their own plants, rather than buy it.
While numerous polls have found strong majority support for marijuana legalization overall, relatively few have inquired about home grow preferences. In this latest survey, 59 percent of adults said they agree that “[a]ll Americans should have the right to legally grow cannabis at home.”
As the cannabis holiday 4/20 approaches, the polling firm also found that 81 percent of marijuana consumers who plan to grow their own plants this year said they intend to buy seeds on that day.
Overall, 37 percent of respondents also said that they would consider buying marijuana seeds as a gift for someone else on 4/20.
Marijuana might be federally prohibited, but the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has previously confirmed that the seeds that produce cannabis are considered legal hemp if they don’t contain more than 0.3 percent THC. They only become illegal when they produce a plant that exceeds that threshold.
Here are some other datapoints from the new Harris Poll:
- 29 percent of marijuana consumers have grown their own plants and 21 percent would like to try.
- 56 percent of people who’ve grown their own cannabis admit that they’ve played music for, or sang to, their plants.
- 34 percent of cannabis consumers who have grown at home say they do so because they consider the product safer than what’s available at retailers.
- 49 percent of people who grow their own say home cultivation gives them a sense of confidence, 48 percent a sense of joy, 46 percent a sense of pride, 34 percent a sense of ease and 44 percent a connectedness with nature.
- 43 percent of home cultivators say it’s a more cost-effect option.
- 61 percent of people who plan to grow their own plants this year say they’re cultivating it from seeds, compared to 21 percent who will grow it from clones or seedlings.
“All adults should be allowed to grow their own cannabis alongside their fruits and vegetables, if they so choose, without the fear of financial or criminal penalties,” Shai Ramsahai, president of Royal Queen Seeds, said in a press release. “There are many reasons people enjoy growing at home, from cost savings and knowing how their plants were grown, to just plain old having fun.”
The survey involved interviews with 2,024 adults 21 and older, including 713 cannabis consumers, from February 15-20. The margin of error was +/- 2.5 percentage points.
Another recent poll from the Pew Research Center found that nine in 10 Americans believe marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical purposes. And most agree that legalization bolsters local economies and makes the criminal justice system more fair.
A separate Gallup poll from last November found that support for marijuana legalization has reached a new record high nationally, with seven in 10 Americans—including a sizable majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents—now backing an end to prohibition.
Another poll released last month found that a strong majority of voters in three states—including more than 60 percent of Republicans—support congressional legislation to protect states’ rights to set their own marijuana laws.
Pew also released a separate report in February that found eight in 10 Americans now live in a county with at least one marijuana dispensary. The analysis also shows that high concentrations of retailers often “cluster” near borders abutting other states that have “less permissive cannabis laws”—indicating that there’s a large market of people who live in still-criminalized jurisdictions who cross state lines to purchase regulated products.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
