YouGov Poll: 45% of Americans Support Federal Cannabis Legalization

A YouGov poll released on Tuesday found that 45% of Americans believe cannabis should be legalized nationally, with 21% saying the decision should be left to the states, and 20% preferring it remain outlawed.

The poll found that 66% of Democrats supported national cannabis legalization along with just 19% of Republicans. Nearly a third of Republicans (32%) preferred leaving the decision to legalize cannabis up to the states; just 12% of Democrats shared that position. Most Republicans polled (36%) wanted cannabis to remain prohibited, along with 14% of Democrats.

The results of the poll, which was conducted from May 8 through May 10, and included 1,500 U.S. adult citizens, found similar results to an April poll from Hill-HarrisX which found 37% support for enacting the reforms federally, 38% support for leaving the decision up to the states, and 25% support for broad prohibition.

That poll also found more Democrats (48%) preferred federal action to state-level reforms (36%), with 16% opposing legalization entirely. The majority of Republicans in the Hill-Harris poll supported leaving the decision to the states (39%), with 27% preferring federal reforms and 34% opposing legalization.

Independents were split in the Hill-Harris poll 38% to 36% for their support of federal legalization and state-by-state legalization, respectively, with 26% opposing the reforms entirely. The YouGov poll did not include independents.

The most recent Gallup poll from November 2021 found support for cannabis legalization federally at 68% –  maintaining its record level of support since the pollster began asking the question in 1969.