Whenever the issue of cannabis legalization comes up, many assume that support for legal weed is mostly found in blue states, like California, Washington and Colorado. But, new polls in deeply conservative states—Kansas, Utah, Florida and Arkansas, to name but a few—show that the majority of voters support marijuana legalization for adult-use.
A recent survey conducted by the Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling found that in Kansas, 56 percent of voters support legalizing cannabis for recreational use, while 72 percent said they’re in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical use.
In Utah, a poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights found 50 percent of voters in favor of legalization for adult use, with another 38 percent saying they only favor legal cannabis when prescribed by a doctor. A paltry nine percent said marijuana should stay illegal.
A recent poll conducted in Florida showed that a majority of Florida voters, including Republican voters, will vote for the legalization initiative on the 2025 ballot. In Arkansas, a recent poll showed that the majority of voters are in favor of expanding the state’s current medical marijuana program. Even in Pennsylvania’s toss-up districts, recent polls have shown majority support for legalizing weed.
With the Presidential Election now literally around the proverbial corner, the issue of legalizing cannabis, whether for medical or recreational use, could prove to be pivotal. In states where the margins are certain to be tighter than bark on a tree, cannabis legalization could end up delivering the state to the candidate that makes the issue part of their campaign.
That’s certainly why both Harris and Trump have weighed in on the subject, with Harris promising broad federal legalization and Trump talking about being in favor of federal decriminalization, while leaving the ultimate decision to the states.
An historic moment.
This marks the very first time in U.S. history that both presidential candidates, recognizing the increasing levels of bipartisan support, publicly endorse the legalization of marijuana.
National surveys on the issue have reported overwhelming support for legalizing cannabis. A recent public opinion poll by the Pew Research Center, reported 88 percent of respondents said that cannabis should be legal for medical or recreational use by adults.
It shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, right? While the World War II generation had little or no familiarity with marijuana and therefore staunchly opposed it becoming legal, today most people are far more familiar with the drug and its effects. Continuing to list marijuana as a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD has become so tone deaf that it’s embarrassing.
And, the idea that anyone today opposes medical marijuana, meaning legal access but only with a doctor’s prescription, is downright offensive and can only be explained to be the result of ignorance.
Cancer patients, for example, commonly report that marijuana, which reduces anxiety while increasing appetite, is the only way they made it through chemotherapy. These patients are offered almost any drug under the sun and many are far more addictive and intrusive without being more effective. Why would we possibly deny those fighting for their lives access to legal weed?
Can we talk about sleep aids? Travelers on long flights are routinely prescribed Ambien, Xanax, Valium and other similar drugs to help them sleep on a plane. All are addictive and can leave you with a hangover, among other negative side effects, the next day. None represent a good answer, while taking a THC gummy promotes restful sleep without grogginess the next day, and without the risk of addiction.
It’s long past time that we speak honestly and openly about cannabis and its many positive uses, because it’s not just about “getting high.” According to the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, the top five reasons for cannabis use over age 50 are:
To Relax – 81%
Help with Sleep – 68%
Enjoy the Effects – 64%
Pain Relief – 63%
Mental Health/Mood – 53%
Remember, from 1920 to 1933, the 18th Amendment made consuming alcohol illegal in this country. Known as “prohibition,” it’s widely understood that it didn’t work, except to turn millions of Americans who wanted a drink into criminals, while funding organized crime.
It’s taken a long time to get to where we are today on cannabis legalization, obviously progress takes time. Should we be grateful to today’s politicians for being courageous enough to advocate for legal cannabis. Personally, I think not. I think they’re motivation is what it always is when it comes to politicians: they want to be elected and will get behind whatever they think will accomplish that goal.
In any case, here we finally are. Let’s hope we get it right this time around.
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Martin Andelman is the co-founder and CEO of Deltrium, a super-premium brand of legal THC based gummies that are double blind lab tested, blending cannabinoids to create specifically targeted effects. Deltrium is the only company that provides a scientific dosing algorithm that provides users with their individualized optimal initial dose, so no one takes too much or too little. Martin is a veteran CEO and an experienced blogger and highly-rated speaker. He is 63 years-old and lives with his wife in Cary, North Carolina. For more information, visit Deltrium.com.
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