54% of Arizona Voters Support Marijuana Legalization, 33% Oppose

Support for marijuana legalization for recreational use has the support of the majority of Arizonans, a new poll of registered Arizona voters found.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters in the state approve of the legalization while only 33 percent oppose the idea, OH Predictive Insights reported. Support is strongest among Democrats and those under the age of 55. Republicans and voters over the age of 55 accounted for the highest opposition to the proposed public policy.

“Eleven states currently have legalized marijuana for adult use and with an expected high turnout election in 2020 – there is a decent chance Arizona becomes number 12 based on these latest numbers,” said Mike Noble, Chief of Research and Managing Partner of Phoenix-based research company OH Predictive Insights.

In 2016, voters narrowly shot down marijuana legalization after a multi-million-dollar campaign. Diving deeper into the weeds of the survey, all regions of Arizona support the legalization of marijuana with Maricopa and Pima Counties favoring legalization by more than 20 points each and Arizona’s rural counties favor it by 10 points.

The only major group of Arizona voters who are against the legalization of recreational marijuana is Republicans. Among GOP voters, legalization is underwater by 9 points. However, Democratic support for the measure has more than three times as many Democrats in favor than in opposition. On top of this, twice as many registered Independents support the measure than do not.  Independent voters will be critical in determining where Arizona’s eleven electoral college votes go on the presidential contest and for the incredibly competitive U.S. Senate race.

Voters regardless of age support the legalization of marijuana. Younger voters — those under the age of 55 — support the idea by almost 40 points. Even older voters, who have traditionally been resistant to legalization efforts in the past, now favor the measure by 1 point.

This survey was conducted via an opt-in online panel. The survey was completed by OH Predictive Insights between Oct 31, 2019, and Nov 8, 2019, from an Arizona, registered voter sample. The sample demographics accurately reflect Arizona Registered voters by region, party affiliation, gender, and age. The sample size was 900 completed surveys, with an MoE of ± 3.27%. Numbers may not total 100%, due to rounding.

View the Smart & Safe Arizona initiative which will legalize marijuana for adult use.

Photo: GarrettSSeeger/Flickr CC2.0 Modified