9 Out Of 10 Americans Support Some Form Of Legal Cannabis, Pew Research Center Finds

Cannabis legalization sentiments are hitting major records of approval in the U.S. A new Pew Research Center (PRC) survey indicates that a vast majority of Americans support legal cannabis for medicinal and recreational use.

57% of participants said cannabis should be legal for both medical and recreational use while 32% said it should be legal for medical purposes only. Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults say marijuana should be illegal.

Reasons for supporting the legalization of recreational cannabis are diverse. While one out of two Americans (52%) said cannabis is "good for the economy" a plurality of 42% also said "it makes the justice system more fair." 

On the other hand, common concerns revolve around the impact that recreational cannabis might have on communities, with a majority (44%) saying legalization has no impact and 34% sharing the sentiment that recreational cannabis legalization makes communities less safe.

The survey found that Democrats tend to favor the benefits of legalization for local economies and the justice system. 

While this sentiment is not present in the majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, a vast percentage of them indicated that recreational cannabis legalization has a positive effect on local economies and a plurality stated that this positive effect stretches up to the legal system.

Among this universe of participants, suspicion over the negative effects of legalization increased, given that 42% regard the use of cannabis as positively affecting the use of other drugs such as heroin and fentanyl 

and nearly half said they thought it made communities less safe.

This important topic will no doubt be fully analyzed by participants in the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Florida, April 16-17.

Differences Among Age, Race And Ethnic Groups

Partisan differences are not the only dimension to factor in and might be overly explained by age or social groups. The study shows a significant age gap in cannabis perception. For instance, while 71% of people between 18 and 29 responded that cannabis should be legal for both medical and recreational use, only a striking 15% over 75 thought it should be illegal, although a majority favored legalization of medical use only (52%) and total legalization (31%).

The online survey consisted of 5140 interviews from The American Trends Panel survey methodology developed by the Pew Research Center. Participants were consulted from Jan 16 to Jan 21, 2024. Differences among racial and ethnic groups were also accounted for. Appreciations coming from different racial and ethnic clusters did not 

significantly affect results in general but, interestingly, Black adults seem to appreciate the impact of cannabis legalization on the criminal justice system with 45% saying it makes it fairer - a cipher that drops to 41% among white adults. Hispanic and Asian adults are more likely to say marijuana legalization makes communities less safe.

We'll talk more about this important topic at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Florida on April 16 and 17, 2024. The two-day event at The Diplomat Beach Resort will be a chance for entrepreneurs, both large and small, to network, learn, and grow. Renowned for its trendsetting abilities and influence on the future of cannabis, mark your calendars – this conference is the go-to event of the year for the cannabis world.

Get your tickets now on bzcannabis.com – Prices will increase very soon!