An overwhelming majority of Americans—nearly nine in 10—support legalizing marijuana in some form, according to newly released polling data from the Pew Research Center.
87 per cent of respondents who were asked to express their preferences on cannabis policies said that they supported reform. 54 percent of respondents said that marijuana should be made legal both for recreational and medical purposes. 33 percent, however, said that it should only be allowed for medical reasons.
In the United States, only 12 percent (or adults) believe cannabis should still be banned in every state.
The survey also showed majority support for legalization in some form across every demographic—including age, race and political party affiliation.
Pew Research Center
Democrats were most in favor of reform, with 93 percent in favor—including a 66 percent majority who say marijuana should be legalized across the board for both recreational and medical use.
Majority of Republicans support some form of legalization. A plurality of Republicans (43%), for example, said that it should be allowed to be used medically and recreationally.
Pew says that “support for marijuana legalization increased dramatically” in the last decade.
This data—which was collected January 27-February 2 from 5,086 American adults and released on Tuesday—builds upon a growing body of research showing rapidly shifting public opinions on marijuana prohibition, with an ever-increasing number of people expressing opposition to criminalizing people over cannabis.
Pew Research Center
Pew also mentioned the results from an earlier study conducted last year, which highlighted opinions on the social impacts of legalizing recreational marijuana. A majority of respondents (52%) said that the reform was “good” to local economies. 42 percent of respondents also agreed that the legalization process would improve criminal justice.
Another recent survey from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), which was conducted by the firm Forbes Tate Partners, found that seven in 10 American voters want to see the end of federal marijuana prohibition—and nearly half say they’d view the Trump administration more favorably if it took action on the issue.
A poll released last month that MEDCAN24 partnered on with the cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD showed that a majority of marijuana consumers disapprove of the Trump administration’s actions on cannabis policy to date, but there’s also a significant willingness among users to shift their position if the federal government opts to reschedule or legalize marijuana.
Earlier this year, meanwhile, a firm associated with President Donald Trump—Fabrizio, Lee & Associates—also polled Americans on a series of broader marijuana policy issues. Notably, it found that a majority of Republicans back cannabis rescheduling—and, notably, they’re even more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal interference compared to the average voter.
Trump faces criticism from cannabis advocates, who had expected him to complete the cannabis redistribution process. While Trump endorsed the proposal—as well as industry banking access and a Florida legalization ballot initiative, on the campaign trail last year—he’s since been publicly silent on the issue.
As part of his latest budget request, the president also again proposed to remove existing protections for states that have legalized medical marijuana, while maintaining a ban that’s prevented Washington, D.C. from enacting a system of regulated adult-use cannabis sales.
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Terrance Cole was confirmed by a Senate panel in May to be the next administrator of Drug Enforcement Administration. He has refused to commit himself to implementing a marijuana rescheduling plan that is still being considered.
Cole—who has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth—said he would “give the matter careful consideration after consulting with appropriate personnel within the Drug Enforcement Administration, familiarizing myself with the current status of the regulatory process, and reviewing all relevant information.”
However, during an in-person hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in April, he said examining the rescheduling proposal will be “one of my first priorities” if he was confirmed for the role, saying it’s “time to move forward” on the stalled process—but again without clarifying what end result he would like to see.
Separately in April, an activist who received a pardon for a marijuana-related conviction during Trump’s first term paid a visit to the White House, discussing future clemency options with the recently appointed “pardon czar.”
A marijuana industry-backed political action committee (PAC) has also released a series of ads over recent months that have attacked Biden’s cannabis policy record as well as the nation of Canada, promoting sometimes misleading claims about the last administration while making the case that Trump can deliver on reform.
Its latest ad accused former President Joe Biden and his DEA of waging a “deep state war” against medical cannabis patients—but without mentioning that the former president himself initiated the rescheduling process that marijuana companies want to see completed under Trump.
Mike Latimer is the photographer.
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