Voters strongly support legalizing cannabis and other marijuana-related policy reforms, according to national survey data compiled by the firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates and first reported by Marijuana Moment.
The poll, which includes an oversampling of Republicans, finds that 66 of respondents support legalizing the adult-use of marijuana, 68 percent believe that states should be able to determine their own marijuana policies free from federal interference, and 70 percent believe that it should be rescheduled federally.
Republican voters expressed support for legalization by a double digit margin.
“[The] electorate … is clearly ready for cannabis to be legalized for adult use,” pollsters summarized in an accompanying memo. “There is no significant political or demographic group that doesn’t believe cannabis should be legal for consenting adults.”
Commenting on the polling data, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “At a time when voters and politicians are largely divided, there is one issue that Americans largely agree upon: It’s time to legalize and regulate marijuana,” he said.
He added: “Legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis access is not only good policy, but it’s also good politics. State and federal politicians who continue to ignore their constituents’ sentiments on these issues do so at their own political peril.”
Other recent polls — including polling data compiled in December by the politically conservative-leaning think tank, the Manhattan Institute — have similarly reported overwhelming public support for marijuana legalization.
While on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump posted to social media: “As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including SAFE banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”
However, since becoming President, he has not publicly revisited the issue. Further, an administrative petition initiated by the Biden administration to reclassify cannabis under federal law was stayed by a judge in January. No actions have been taken by the US Drug Enforcement Administration to advance the process since then.
Most recently, Republican lawmakers Rep. David Joyce (OH), Max Miller (OH), and Democrat Dina Titus (NV) filed the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) 2.0 Act. Representatives Joyce and Titus are co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.
The measure protects state-legal cannabis markets and establishes regulations governing interstate commerce, among other changes in federal policy.
“Whether a state is pro-legalization or anti-legalization, we can all agree that the current federal approach to cannabis policy is not working,” Rep. Joyce said in a press release. “The STATES 2.0 Act remedies this issue by bridging the gap between federal and state policy to create a more logical approach to cannabis regulation that allows each state to put the policies in place that work best for their communities and unique needs. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and the Administration to protect states’ rights and make our communities a safer place.”
Additional information on pending legislation is available from NORML’s Take Action Center. Additional polling information is available here.
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