New Poll Shows 9 Out Of 10 Americans Support Legal Pot

Nearly nine in 10 Americans believe cannabis should be legalized in some way, with a majority for recreational marijuana to be legal for adults, according to a new poll released Tuesday. I say it should be done. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center last month, was published online on Nov. 22 after being conducted in early October.

of Voting result, essentially unchanged from a similar survey conducted in April 2021. More than half (59%) say medical marijuana and cannabis for adult use should be legalized, and nearly 30%) said cannabis should only be legalized for medical purposes. Only one of her ten respondents said marijuana should be illegal in all cases.

Legalization support that varies by age

Support for legalizing recreational marijuana splits sharply by age of poll respondents, with only a minority of respondents 75 and older believing that all forms of cannabis should be legalized. was 30%. In contrast, 72% of those aged 18-29 said both recreational marijuana and medical cannabis should be legalized, while 62% of respondents aged 30-49 said the same. Just over half (54%) of adults aged 50 to 64 said both recreational and medical marijuana should be legal, and 53% of those aged 65 to 74 agreed.

The new survey also revealed varying levels of support for marijuana legalization based on respondents’ political affiliations. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents believe marijuana should be legal for both recreational and medical use, while another 21% believe only medical marijuana should be legal. He said it should be legalized. 84% of liberal Democrats said both forms of cannabis should be legal, with almost two-thirds (63%) of moderate and conservative Democrats saying they share the same view. I was.

However, less than half (45%) of Republican and pro-Republican independent voters said both medical marijuana and adult-use marijuana should be legalized, and an additional 39% said only medical marijuana should be legal. I replied that I should. A majority (60%) of moderate and liberal Republicans said both medical and recreational marijuana should be legalized, compared with 4 in 10 conservative Republicans. Fewer than 37% said both forms of cannabis should be legalized.

Polls Taken After Presidential Pardon Announced

The new poll comes after President Joe Biden announced on Oct. 6 that he would pardon all federal convictions for simple marijuana possession and urged governors across the country to do the same. At the same time, the president directed the U.S. Attorney General and the head of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the rescheduling of cannabis under federal drug laws.

About three weeks after the survey was completed, voters in five states decided how they would vote to legalize recreational marijuana in the November midterm elections. Bids for legalization were successful in Maryland and Missouri, but similar proposals in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota were rejected by voters.

A new Pew Research Center poll, conducted Oct. 10-16, also identified varying levels of support for marijuana legalization among different racial groups. A majority of white (60%) and black (68%) adults were in favor of ending bans on both medical marijuana and adult cannabis. In contrast, less than half of Hispanic (49%) and Asian (48%) respondents said they were in favor of full legalization.
The overall findings of the study are similar to those recently released gallup poll He also showed strong support for the legalization of marijuana. The survey, conducted Oct. 3-Oct. 20, did not distinguish between medical cannabis and recreational marijuana, but more than two-thirds of respondents (68%) supported legalization. Yes, which is a record high in polls. A Monmouth University poll released last month showed similar support.