Bipartisan Support for Marijuana Legalization Grows Across Country

A recent Gallup poll and the passage of state marijuana legalization measures indicate that bipartisan support for legalization is growing, AP reports.

Voters in New Jersey, Arizona, South Dakota and Montana voted to legalize recreational marijuana, while voters in Mississippi approved medical marijuana. The measures passed with strong bipartisan support, the article notes.

In Montana and South Dakota, where Republicans easily won in key races, measures to legalize recreational marijuana passed with at least 16 percentage points more support than Democratic President-elect Joe Biden received. In South Dakota, a measure to legalize medical marijuana passed with 34 percentage points more support than Biden.

The Gallup poll found that 68% of Americans — including 83% of Democrats and 48% of Republicans — approve of legalizing marijuana.

Last week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House will vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to decriminalize marijuana and expunge convictions for non-violent marijuana offenses.