A majority of adults in the U.S. (63%) support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana at the national level according to a new Axios|SurveyMonkey poll, even though only about a quarter (26%) say they’re interested in purchasing marijuana for their own personal use.
Support for legalization is strongest among those under age 45, 72% of whom are in favor of legalization, with support dropping to just under half (49%) among those 65 and older.
Support for medical marijuana is higher across the board, with a much more gradual decrease by age. Nearly nine in 10 adults in the U.S. (87%) support the use of marijuana for medical purposes by adults if prescribed by a doctor.
Four in 10 young adults age 18 to 24 say they’re interested in purchasing marijuana legally, and nearly as many 25 to 34 year-olds (37%) say they are as well. But interest drops off rapidly among older adults, to just 16% among those 65 and up.
Interest in purchasing products containing CBD, a legal marijuana extract, is significantly higher among all but the youngest adults. About the same proportion of 18 to 24 year-olds say they’re interested in purchasing products containing CBD as say they’re interested in legally purchasing marijuana (43% vs. 40%), but twice as many adults 65 and older say they’re interested in purchasing CBD as are interested in purchasing marijuana (32% vs. 16%).
Despite its popularity, support for marijuana legalization seems unlikely to be a large factor in the 2020 elections. About half (49%) of adults say that a candidate’s position on legalization has no effect on their likelihood to support them. Nearly equal numbers of people say they are more likely to support a candidate who is in favor of legalization (26%) as say they would be less likely to support such a candidate (22%).
Read more about our polling methodology here.
Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below:
Question text:
Do you support or oppose legalizing the recreational use of marijuana on a national level?
Do you support or oppose allowing adults to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if their doctor prescribes it?
Are you more or less likely to support a national political candidate who favors legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, or would that have no effect on your vote choice?
How interested are you in purchasing marijuana legally for your personal use?
How interested are you in purchasing products that contain cannabidiol (CBD), a marijuana extract, for your personal use?
*consumers
