59% of viewers want marijuana legalized

It appears that with Tucker Carlson’s downfall, changes are coming to Fox News. Does that mean Fox can listen to the majority of its viewers and be an advocate for marijuana legalization (or at least isn’t a hurdle)?

In a recent poll by CivicsScience, a Carnegie Mellon incubator spinout, 6 out of 10 Fox Views are open to legalizing marijuana. The survey shows that acceptance has increased for the most part – even among an older population.

Beacon Research pollster Chris Anderson has conducted polls on legalization and focused on where the country is headed.

According to Anderson:

This is a massive shift in opinion in a very short time. As more states legalize marijuana without the ill effects opponents have warned of, support is likely to continue to grow.

Despite growing acceptance and support for marijuana law reform, the Biden administration has been slow to gain traction, with the president tentatively supporting him at best. The previous administration moved in the opposite direction, and the original Attorney General Jeff Session was almost fanatical against any form of approval. Fox News journalists were lukewarm about legalization.

One segment took a different approach, and that was Fox News Business. As more states have legalized cannabis, their reporters and anchors have covered the market as well as autos, commodities, crypto, banks, etc. Cheech from Cheech and Chong has discussed legalization, the marijuana economy, and the weed business. They’ve followed the highs (Canopy Grow) and the lows (MedMen, Tilray) and shared investing tips with loyal fans. Typical consumer focus articles include “Americans spent more money on legal cannabis than they did on chocolate or beer.”

They even took a journalistic approach to Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s endorsement of marijuana legalization. You gave her a voice to share her journey on how marijuana helped her after a tragic incident and how veterans can benefit.

According to Republican pollster Shaw:

Given the growing percentage of people who say they support marijuana legalization, particularly among those under 30, it’s clear why Democrats are keen to get marijuana initiatives voted in statewide elections.

If more opinion hosts leave Fox, will that help? Laura Ingaham was a vocal opponent of legalization and famously painted a very different picture from the facts. Fox must fine-tune its news and opinion content to maintain or contain any impact of the changes if it is to remain profitable. With the company’s value falling 25% over the last year, doing more in line with its fundamentals seems like a smart move.