61% of Americans Say Marijuana Legalization Is a “Good Idea”

According to nationwide polling data by Emerson College, 61% of Americans say that legalizing cannabis for adults is a “good idea.”

Of all the policy issues asked by the poll, respondents’ support was strongest for legalizing marijuana, NORML reported. Sixty-one percent of the people surveyed, including 74 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Independents (but only 46 percent of Republicans), categorized legalization as a “good idea.”

By contrast, only 55 percent of respondents said that establishing new pathways for citizenship was a good idea, and only 54 percent backed raising the federal minimum wage to $15.00 per hour.

“Polls consistently show that a strong majority of the public backs efforts to repeal America’s failed marijuana prohibition,” NORML’s Political Director Justin Strekal stated. “Given this reality, it would be nothing short of political malpractice for Democratic leaders to fail to follow through on their pledge to move legislation forward in the 117th Congress to repeal cannabis criminalization and to allow states to advance legalization free from undue federal interference. In fact, it would be among the most politically popular policy avenues that leadership could pursue this legislative session.”