Poll: Fighting Marijuana Legalization Is Bad Politics
Published on 8/29/15
A new poll in early primary states Iowa and New Hampshire is showing that over 60% of republican voters are in favor of each state's right to reform drug policy without the DEA's federal interference. Both republican frontrunners Donald Trump and Jeb Bush have similar views in favor of state's rights, while Chris Christie and Mark Rubio are still planning to shut down the marijuana industry at the first chance. The less divided democractic candidates such as Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are both basing their developing stances on upcoming research from legal states like Colorado and Washington.
"Our poll shows that across party lines, and regardless of personal support for legalization, the vast majority of voters simply want the feds to get out of the way and let states implement their own reforms without harassment," Marijuana Majority Chairman Tom Angell tells Rolling Stone. "For Democrats – who polls show overwhelmingly support legalization – this means giving states a chance to show that legalization actually works well. For Republicans – who aren't as hot on legalization, according to polls – this means extending the cherished principle of states' rights and a smaller federal government even in areas where they personally don't support the policy proposal at hand."