Majority of US voters support federal legalization of marijuana, but do politicians care?

Through Nina Zdinjak

A majority of US voters support legalizing marijuana at the federal level, a new Morning Consult/Politico poll shows.

The poll, conducted September 30-October 2, 2022, asked a representative sample of 2,005 registered voters if they wanted cannabis legalized at the federal level. The results were as expected and consistent with other surveys conducted in recent years.

Key Highlights

• Three in five voters (or 60%) agree recreational cannabis use should be legal, while 27% disagree. The remaining 13% are undecided.
• Federal cannabis reform is supported by 71% of Democrats, 61% of independents, and about 47% of Republicans. It’s important to note that at the same time, 41% of Republicans oppose it, compared to just 16% of Democrats and 24% of independents.
• Up to 72% of Black and 67% of Hispanic voters support legalizing weed, compared to 58% of White voters.
• The greatest support (71%) for legalization comes from voters aged 35-44, followed by the 18-34 age group at 69%.

A recent Rasmussen Reports cannabis poll found that the majority of Americans do not consider cannabis dangerous.

RELATED: New poll sheds light on GOP’s advancing views on cannabis legalization

While the Rasmussen Reports poll focused primarily on people’s perceptions of marijuana, another April YouGov poll examined how many Americans would like to see cannabis legal. The results showed that 60% wanted legalization and 27% did not.

All of this data corroborates the results of a 2021 Gallup poll that showed up to 68% support for cannabis legalization.

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How close is federal reform?

In July, the long-awaited US Senate bill was introduced that would decriminalize and de-schedule cannabis at the federal level and promote social justice. Senators Chuck Schumer, Ron Wyden and Cory Booker’s bill known as the Cannabis Administration And Opportunity Act (CAOA) proposes sweeping marijuana reform.

Since then, however, CAOA has come under criticism. It’s overly complex, critics say, and many cannabis industry pundits like Cantor Fitzgerald’s Pablo Zuanic and Emily Paxhia, co-founder of cannabis investment fund Poseidon Asset Management, agree the chances of the bill passing the Senate are slim .

RELATED: What are Americans’ views on cannabis in general? New poll revealed

“There’s too much wrapped up in CAOA for that to get through,” Paxhia recently told Benzinga. “This was an Hail Mary bill introduced by Schumer and the supporting Democrats.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Wyden noted how difficult it will be to get CAOA through the Senate.

“A 50-50 majority in the Senate will make passing our bill a difficult proposition, but I hope we can at least pass some important reforms this Congress,” Wyden told The American Prospect.

Biden still not there

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden repeatedly said he wanted marijuana decriminalization and automatic overturning of previous cannabis convictions. After nearly two years in the Oval Office, the President has granted clemency to dozens of people with nonviolent federal drug convictions and commuted the sentences of 75 people serving time at home because of the pandemic. He also issued three pardons.

RELATED: Most Americans don’t think weed is dangerous, but they’re divided on whether it is

The Biden administration has avoided meaningful action for months while dodging questions about marijuana decriminalization. It is likely that he will remain silent on the subject, at least until after the midterms.

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There is still hope for a bill

Fortunately, however, many experts believe that at least one bill has the potential to pass the Senate. Sponsors of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), recently discussed the urgency of cannabis reform in this session, reiterating the public safety need to give the industry access to the traditional financial system.

The Senate never voted on the Banking Reform Act, which the House of Representatives passed for the sixth time in July as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Cantor’s Zuanic recently met with lawmakers in the nation’s capital and said congressional leaders are poised to pass banking legislation for the cannabis industry in the upcoming election.

He pointed out that the passage of “SAFE Plus” is likely during the lame duck phase of Congress between the midterm elections in November and the swearing-in of the new Congress in January 2023.

The SAFE Banking Plus’ Act is an updated version of a bill that includes provisions to protect financial institutions that provide services to federally legal cannabis businesses. It also includes some equity components.

“We think talk of a SAFE Plus (invoice) is something that should be taken seriously,” Zuanic told investors in a Zoom conversation. “It’s not just a jingle. It’s not a pipe dream. It’s something that lasts. There are high-level discussions in the Senate between co-sponsors of the SAFE Banking Act on the Republican side with Senate leadership.”

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.