Poll: 57% of Americans Support Fully Legalizing Cannabis

According to a recent YouGov poll, 57% of Americans believe cannabis should be legalized while 27% want it to remain outlawed and 16% were unsure. The survey found 70% of Democrats approve the reforms, along with 61% of independents, and 67% who identified as “other.” Just 40% of Republicans approved of the reforms.

The majority of all age groups polled backed legalization, including 53% of 18-24-year-olds, 61% of those aged 25-34, 62% of 35-44-year-olds, 60% of those 45-54, and 54% of respondents aged 55-and-older.

A majority of both men and women — 58% and 56% respectively — approved of cannabis legalization, while more men (29%) than women (25%) opposed the reforms. Another 14% of men and 19% of women said they were unsure about legalizing cannabis broadly.

Legalization was also popular among all income levels, as 55% of individuals making under $40,000 preferred legalization to prohibition, along with 53% of those who make between $40,000 and $80,000, and 54% of respondents who make $80,000 or more.

The survey was conducted on November 29 and included 40,557 adults in the U.S.

An August poll conducted by Gallup found 49% of Americans had tried cannabis at least once, representing the highest level the polling company has ever reported for Americans that have tried cannabis since it started asking the question in 1970 when the level was 4%. Gallup polling has also found 68% of Americans support cannabis legalization — which is also the highest level in the pollster’s history since they started asking the question in 1969.