Majority of Republicans Support Cannabis Legalization

According to a new Gallup poll, Record-High Support for Legalizing Marijuana Use in U.S., the majority of Republicans said they support cannabis legalization. It’s the first time that the majority of Republicans support cannabis legalization in Gallup’s 48-year history of asking that question.

Gallup’s importance cannot be overstated. Gallup, through the years, has tracked shifting societal norms such as growing political polarization or women’s rights. The organization also, of course, tracks support for cannabis.

Fifty-one percent of Republicans said they are now in favor of legal cannabis. In 2004, by comparison, only 20 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of Democrats said they support legal cannabis. Things changed in 2009 when Democratic support for legal cannabis shifted into a majority. And now, the majority of Republicans support it as well.

“The trajectory of Americans’ views on marijuana is similar to that of their views on same-sex marriage over the past couple of decades,” wrote Justin McCarthy regarding the poll. “On both issues, about a quarter supported legalization in the late 1990s, and today 64 percent favor each. Over the past several years, Gallup has found that Americans have become more liberal on a variety of social issues.”

The results were produced based on telephone interviews conducted during October 5-11. 1,028 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia were sampled. The poll also mentioned that one in five Americans lives in a state with legal cannabis.

Since 1969, Gallup has monitored support for cannabis in America. Gallup has been collecting data since 1935. For instance, in 1958, only 38 percent of the public said they would support a black president. But thanks to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that number jumped to 59 percent, the first time the majority said they would support a black president.

The poll makes one thing clear—cannabis is now a bipartisan issue. Both Republicans and Democrats want the same thing (when it comes to cannabis).