Is US polling on marijuana legalization consistently borne out by election results?
Polls show support for marijuana legalization has been steadily rising since 1989, reaching 67% in 2019, according to Pew Research Center. Gallup reported a similar number, 68%, in November 2020.
Ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana have continued to succeed in state after state, regardless of other conservative or liberal voting patterns. Voters in five more states legalized marijuana for either medical or recreational use in the 2020 election. Mississippi and South Dakota approved medical marijuana measures. South Dakota, Arizona, Montana and New Jersey approved recreational marijuana usage. Thirty-six states now permit medical use; 15 states allow adult recreational use.
"Men, younger adults, college graduates and those in households with incomes of at least $100,000 are more likely than their counterparts to favor legalization," Gallup reported.
