Poll: Majority in North Carolina Support Legalizing Adult-Use Cannabis

An Elon University poll determined that most voters in North Carolina support legalizing cannabis for both medical and adult-use purposes, WRAL News reports.

The poll found 75% support for medical cannabis reforms, including 89% of registered Democrats and 57% of Republicans, while support for adult-use cannabis was just over 50%, including 74% of Democrats and 33% of Republicans.

“This was a diverse cross-section of interests of North Carolinians, and it is hardly a surprise that when you get these people together in a room, and you ask them their consensus on what a reasonable, rational marijuana policy ought to look like in North Carolina, they came back with the answer is legalization and regulation, and not continuing this failed policy of prohibition.” — Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, in a statement

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) has endorsed cannabis legalization as a method of reducing crime and curtailing the illicit marketplace. The proposal, however, is unpopular with the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

Meanwhile, a North Carolina Supreme Court ruling this year confirmed that police can carry out warrantless vehicle searches based solely on the smell of cannabis.