Washington, DC: Majorities of Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters endorse legalizing the use of marijuana for adults and this support is growing, according to polling data compiled by the firms FM3 Research and Fabrizio, Lee & Associates and first reported by MarijuanaMoment.net.
Pollsters surveyed voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota. A majority of voters in each of the four states decided in favor of adult-use legalization ballot measures on Election Day.
Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed – including 85 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of Independents, and 53 percent of Republicans – support legalizing marijuana. That finding is consistent with other nationwide polls.
More than one-quarter of respondents (27 percent) – including 33 percent of Democrats, 35 percent of Independents, and 23 percent of Republicans – said that their views have become more favorable toward legalization in recent years. Sixty-five percent of respondents agreed with the statement, “Legalizing adult use of marijuana is a non-partisan issue that both liberal and conservative voters can get behind.”
Eighty-one percent of respondents agreed that the federal government should not interfere with state laws legalizing marijuana use.
Pollsters concluded: “The results carry important insights, especially for Republican elected officials” who often “cast cannabis legalization as a partisan wedge issue.” This position, pollsters acknowledged, is growing “increasingly untenable” with Republican voters.
Additional polling data is available from NORML.