Clear Majority in NC Support Legalization of Medical Marijuana

In more than half of the states in the union, as well as the District of Columbia, medical marijuana has already been legalized. Some of the states have had legal medical marijuana for more than a decade, and others have just taken the first steps in the past few years.  Some of the jurisdictions have even gone so far as to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

While opponents used to argue that it was a just a few very liberal states such as California that allowed people to use medical marijuana, that is no longer an argument that one can seriously make.  According a recent News Article for the News and Observer, a new poll shows that 80 percent of those surveyed in North Carolina now favor the legalization of medical marijuana. While there has been a majority of support across the country for years, numbers like these show just how far the movement has come.This poll came out of Elon University, and the question was whether participants wanted the state to become the 30^th (next) state to legalize medical marijuana.  It should be noted that only 17 percent of those surveyed were against the legalization of medical marijuana in the state.  It should also be noted that, while there was some disparity amount participants’ political affiliations, the disparity is decreasing.  For example, 83 percent of Democrats and independent voters supported legalization, and 73 percent of registered Republicans supported legalization.  While Republicans were not all willing to support legalization of medical marijuana, the clear majority of them still do, and that is big change from years past.

The study also asked about the recreational use of marijuana in terms of legalization.  In this case, 45 percent of residents supported legalization for recreational use, while 51 percent of those surveyed opposed legalization.  Even though the majority of those polled do support the legalization of recreational use of marijuana, as they do with medical marijuana, even these numbers show that more and more people are coming around. As it turns out, even if people do not support the legalization of recreational use marijuana, they are starting to see the negative consequences of the so-called War on Drugs and even they are starting to come around.

As our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys can explain, one of the reasons for the increase in the support behind medical marijuana has to do with the age of voters.  The younger voters, especially millennials, which is anyone born since 1981, are increasingly more likely to support the legalization of medical marijuana or even the recreational use of marijuana.  On the other hand, those born before the end of World War Two (the Silent Generation) are least likely to support the legalization of recreational use of marijuana.

This recent survey showed that among members of the Silent Generation, only around 10 percent of them support legalization of marijuana for recreational use, but as many as 65 percent of millennials support it.  This number is expected to increase as time goes on.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:
80 percent of North Carolinians want medical marijuana legalized, poll says, May 2, 2017, By Abbie Bennett, News and Observer

More Blog Entries:
Marijuana Sobriety Tests Still Elusive, Feb. 28, 2017, Marijuana Attorney Blog