Poll: 78% of Cannabis Consumers Base Their Votes on Candidates’ Cannabis Policy

Nearly 80% of cannabis consumers say that a candidate’s view on cannabis policy will determine whether they will vote for them during November’s midterm elections, according to a poll released Tuesday by NuggMD at the request of NORML.

Forty-one percent of respondents said a candidate’s views on cannabis would “significantly” influence their decision to vote for them in November, while 37% said a candidate’s views on cannabis would “somewhat” influence their decision. Twenty-two percent of those polled said that a candidate’s views on cannabis would not influence their decision at all.

Women (81%) and Democrats polled (83%) were most likely to say a candidate’s views on cannabis would influence their decision to vote for them, followed by 73% of Republicans and 76% of men.

In a blog post, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano, said that “Reforming America’s failed marijuana prohibition laws enjoys bipartisan support among voters.”

“Candidates and elected officials who ignore this reality do so at their own political peril.” — Armentano in a blog post

A recent poll in North Carolina – one of the few states without legal access to any form of cannabis – found 74% of North Carolina voters back the legalization of medical cannabis and 63% support adult-use legalization.

In Texas, which has a limited medical cannabis program, a May poll found 75% of voters support broader medical cannabis reforms, with 44% of respondents saying they would be more likely to vote for a candidate or lawmaker that backed the Texas Compassionate Use Program.

The NuggMD survey involved interviews with 654 cannabis consumers who live in states with legal markets and has a +/-3.83 percentage point margin of error.