Majority of Republicans Support Marijuana Legalization
Every once and awhile a poll comes out that says that more Americans than ever support marijuana legalization. And while it's notable that support continues to grow, it's not exactly groundbreaking. But a new Gallup poll did reveal a somewhat surprising demographic supports marijuana legalization more than ever: Republicans.
According to a new poll released by Gallup, for the first time ever the majority of Republican voters support marijuana legalization. Their results showed 51 percent of Republicans said they believe cannabis should be legal, which is up from 42 percent just last year. That still lags far behind Democrats at 72 percent and Independents at 67 percent. Overall, 64 percent of Americans support marijuana legalization, which is the highest level of support in nearly 50 years.
The embrace of marijuana by conservatives though is important going forward. The majority of state legislatures and governors' seats are controlled by the GOP. So far, the states that have legalized marijuana have been pretty liberal states (California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, etc.). But if more and more Republican voters begin to support pro-marijuana candidates during the primaries, they could begin to shift marijuana policies throughout the United States. And considering support among Republicans increased by nine percent in one year, you can imagine that number will continue to grow at a quick rate going forward.
And let's face it, Donald Trump is so desperate for support amongst his Republican base that if it becomes clear that they all support marijuana legalization, he'll jump on it as well to keep the few people who still respect him.