Another Poll Finds Majority Support for Cannabis Legalization in Maryland

Another poll has found strong support for Maryland’s cannabis legalization ballot initiative, with 63% of likely voters in a Baltimore Sun Media and University of Baltimore poll backing the reforms. The survey found that 25% of respondents opposed the reforms with 12% unsure. 

If approved by voters next week, adults 21 and older will be allowed to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and grow their own cannabis at home starting July 1, and, eventually, buy from licensed retailers. Maryland legalized medical cannabis in 2013 but the first dispensary didn’t open until 2017. 

The poll found a slight majority of Republicans approve the reforms – 54% – along with 69% of Democrats polled. The survey of 562 Democratic, 247 Republican, and 180 unaffiliated likely voters was conducted by phone and online from October 20-23. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.     

A Goucher College Poll from September found that 59% of Maryland voters planned to back the reforms, with 34% opposed and 7% undecided. A Washington Post and University of Maryland poll released earlier this month found that 74% of voters said they planned to vote ‘yes’ on the legalization question with 23% opposed. 

The legalization question is set for a statewide vote after state lawmakers passed House Bill 1 in April, which created the Constitutional Amendment that voters will consider.