One of the more surprising turns in this decade has been the steady warming of Republicans views on marijuana. Initially, we saw legalization bills pop up in states like Pennsylvania from Republican lawmakers, then a national bill from Representative Nancy Mace just last year. An issue that Democrats had in the bag is slowly changing hands due to a lack of progress and frustration.
This narrative seems even more solid with the release of a poll that shows more than two-thirds of Republican voters favor ending the federal prohibition of cannabis. The language of this poll is worth mentioning because it implies legalization of recreational use. In the past, many polls would show favorability in a general way for more lax rules on weed, but the results would muddy once specifics were added. The message of this poll is read loud and clear.
CPEAR’s latest polling shows 68% of likely @GOP primary voters support ending the federal #cannabis prohibition.
This is a fully bipartisan issue and it’s time for Congress to take action.
More on our polling here: https://t.co/YzSJgrLI89 pic.twitter.com/SuGuPmGi12
— Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (@CPEARCoalition) February 24, 2023
With more and more of the majority of the country in favor of legalization, the absurdity of zero action grows each day. At this point, it seems more hope can be put in the hands of Republicans for chipping away at large-scale prohibition.
Read the original piece at Forbes.
