The U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC), a leading coalition united to end the federal prohibition of cannabis, released today the results of new polling that shows overwhelming supermajority support among registered voters in Arizona, Utah, and West Virginia for ending federal cannabis prohibition this Congress. Indeed, among registered voters in those states, 70% of West Virginians, 66% of Utahans, and 72% of Arizonans favor their Senators voting to legalize cannabis commerce. Results of the polling may be found here.
The new poll conducted by Change Research surveys 1,000 registered voters in each of the key states of Arizona, Utah and West Virginia. Not only do respondents support federal legalization, regulation and taxation, but that support for immediate legalization holds among a majority of registered voter respondents of all political stripes—Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
In addition to strong support for federal cannabis reform, voters across all three states poll highly for the expungement of non-violent criminal records and are keen on veterans having access to medical cannabis, with an average of 87% support with a margin of error of 3.4%.
“We’ve reached an apex in our fight to end federal cannabis prohibition, and it’s clear from these overwhelming figures that Americans in Arizona, Utah and West Virginia support legal cannabis and want their federal and state representatives to do the same,” said Steven Hawkins, Interim President and CEO and founding member of the USCC. “In anticipation of the bill from Senators Booker, Wyden and Schumer, and with the bipartisan vote in favor of legalization in the House last Congress, we are at a critical juncture in our country’s complex journey with cannabis. We urge government representatives on both sides of the aisle to consider this bipartisan public demand and vote favorably on federal cannabis reform.”
These new polling results underscore a considerable shift and acceptance of cannabis legalization. With 18 states, Washington, DC and several territories offering adult-use programs and another 36 offering medical cannabis programs, more than half of Americans now have access to legal cannabis. Some of the poll’s key findings include:
Arizona
- 72% of registered Arizona voters support federal cannabis legalization generally
- 74% support Senators Sinema and Kelly voting to legalize cannabis federally this year
- 79% support the US Congress legalizing cannabis this year in light of foreign nations already doing so
- 64% support expungement of non-violent crimes
- 86% support allowing medical cannabis to be prescribed in VA facilities
Utah
- 66% of registered Utah voters support federal cannabis legalization generally
- 69% support Senators Lee and Romney voting to legalize cannabis federally this year
- 69% support the US Congress legalizing cannabis this year in light of foreign nations already doing so
- 55% support expungement of non-violent crimes
- 86% support allowing medical cannabis to be prescribed in VA facilities
West Virginia
- 70% of registered West Virginia voters support federal cannabis legalization generally
- 77% support Senators Manchin and Capito voting to legalize cannabis this year
- 77% support the US Congress legalizing cannabis this year in light of foreign nations already doing so
- 44% support expungement of non-violent crimes
- 89% support allowing medical cannabis to be prescribed in VA facilities
“The time to end federal cannabis prohibition is now. Americans are calling for legalization, expungement and the prioritization of veteran access, and this ubiquitous support can no longer be ignored,” said Mr. Hawkins.
For more information on how to get involved with the USCC, please visit www.uscannabiscouncil.org
