Poll: Two-Thirds of Louisianans Support Legalizing Cannabis in the State

Two-thirds – 67% – of Louisiana residents support adult-use cannabis legalization in the state, according to a JMC Analytics and Polling survey published yesterday. The firm found 54% support for the reforms in a poll last year.

Just about a quarter of respondents said that cannabis use and possession should remain outlawed in the state – a 6% drop from the firm’s 2020 polling. Sixteen percent of those surveyed in the March poll said they only favored medical cannabis legalization, with 8% wanting both to remain prohibited and 9% undecided.

A supermajority of respondents (75%) also favored allowing the use of smokable forms of cannabis in the state’s medical cannabis program, which currently only allows oils.

Another 65% of respondents said they were more likely to support a candidate for office if that person wanted to reform the state’s cannabis laws; 17% it would make them less likely to support a candidate, with 19% unsure.

The poll found 60% of Republicans supported legalizing use and possession, along with 67% of Democrats and 79% of those registered with another party of independents. The majority of Democrats (66%) and Republicans (56%) also said they were more likely to support a candidate that backs broad legalization.

The poll was conducted March 22-23 and included 1,160 respondents. Of those polled, 44% identified as an Evangelical Christian.