By A majority of registered voters in Texas support legalizing recreational cannabis, according to statewide poll results released this week.of dallas morning news/University of Texas Tyler Paul Fifty-five percent of Texans say they support or strongly support adult-use cannabis legalization. The percentage of voters who support medical marijuana legalization is even higher, with 72% saying they support or strongly support medical cannabis legalization.
Overall, 34% of poll respondents said they strongly supported legalizing adult marijuana, and 21% said they supported the move. Just over a third oppose recreational weed legalization, with 14% opposing, 21% reporting strong opposition, and 9% saying they are neither for nor against legalization. rice field.
Support for adult-use cannabis legalization varies by political affiliation. Among Democrats, 38% said they strongly supported legalizing marijuana, and 27% said they supported policy change. Support for recreational cannabis was also strong among independent voters, with 42% saying they strongly supported legalization and 21% saying they would. Support for legalizing recreational pots is weakest among Republicans, with 26% and 17% respectively saying they strongly support or support legalization.
Frisco, Texas Democrat Laurie Richardson, who responded to the poll, said she had never smoked cannabis. He added that “a ban doesn’t work” with respect to the use of the drug.
“We tried to ban alcohol, but all these people are trying to make their own alcohol and there are people who are addicted to alcohol. I feel the same way about marijuana.” Richardson said“I don’t think you can stop access if people want access. I think it should be treated almost like alcohol.”
Nearly Half of Republicans Oppose Legalizing Adult Cannabis
Nearly half of Republicans surveyed in the poll said they were against legalizing adult-use cannabis. 16% said they disagreed, while 32% said they strongly disagreed.
“If they legalize it, there will be pharmacies popping up on every corner of our town. It’s not something I really look forward to seeing every day,” said a poll respondent. “Our current drug problem with young children is only adding fuel to the fire.”
Recreational cannabis legalization is not well supported among Republican leaders in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott said he was in favor of lowering the pot possession charge to a misdemeanor rather than a felony, but opposed reforming broader cannabis policy. He was an active prohibitionist by preventing cannabis reform bills from being debated in the Texas Senate. Then, at the Texas Republican Convention in June, Republicans approved a party platform opposing the legalization of recreational pots.
Stronger Support for Medical Cannabis in texas
Support for legalizing medical marijuana was even stronger among voters in Texas. State legislators passed a strictly restricted law in 2015 allowing the medical use of cannabis oil containing less than 0.5% THC for the treatment of epilepsy, and since then several governments have sought to expand the program. Earlier this year, Congress approved an expansion to include patients with cancer and PTSD, but Texas’ medical cannabis program remains one of the toughest in the country.
Overall, 72% of respondents were in favor of legalizing medical cannabis, with 44% saying they strongly supported the move and 28% saying they supported it. are in favor of legalization, with 49% strongly supporting legalization and 26% supporting it. Support for independents was high, with 51% saying they strongly supported drug legalization, and 26% saying they supported change. Two-thirds of Republicans are in favor of legalizing medical pots, with 35% strongly supporting the move and 32% supporting it.
“I have a son who was in the Marine Corps and he uses it for medical purposes,” said Paula Miller, a Republican from Diball, Texas, who responded to the poll. “If anything, they should make alcohol illegal,” she added after noting that her family died in a car accident caused by her drunk driving.
A new poll released on Monday showed support for legalizing cannabis had fallen compared to earlier this year.of dallas morning newsThe /UT-Tyler Poll, released in May, showed that 83% supported legalizing medical marijuana and 60% supported legalizing cannabis for adult use.
new dallas morning newsThe /UT-Tyler Poll ran from August 1 to August 7 and interviewed a representative sample of 1,358 registered voters over the phone on a variety of subjects of concern to Texans. This poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent.
