Survey Shows Majority Of Black Americans Support Cannabis Legalization And Expungement

A survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten (57%) of Black Americans favor legalizing medical and recreational cannabis. An additional 28 percent said just medical cannabis should be legal and 11 percent said that marijuana should remain completely criminalized, reported Marijuana Moment.

In addition, 74 percent of Black respondents said that people should be released from prison for marijuana-related offenses and have them expunged from their criminal records.

"When it comes to nationality, similar shares of Black adults born abroad and in the United States say marijuana should be legal (87% vs. 85%)," Pew analysis said. "However, a greater share of Black adults born in the U.S. than Black immigrants says marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use (58% vs. 47%). Four in ten Black immigrants, in turn, say marijuana should be legal for medical use only, compared with 27% of U.S.-born Black adults."
Despite Black Americans being more likely to be arrested and prosecuted over cannabis, studies have found that white people are more likely to use illicit drugs while less likely to be arrested and face jail or prison time.

American Support For Marijuana Legalization

"Black Americans’ views on legalization differ notably by party identification and ideology," reads the Pew analysis. "Roughly six-in-ten Black Democrats and those who lean toward the Democratic Party (61%) say medical and recreational marijuana use should be legal, compared with roughly half of Black Republicans and Republican leaners (48%)."
Separately, polls have also found that marijuana legalization has bipartisan support.
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