Swing State Voters Show Their Support for Marijuana Legalization

In a recent poll conducted in March by researchers at Quinnipiac University, the majority of voters in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were found to be in favor of legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use. (http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/2016-presidential-swing-state-polls/release-detail?ReleaseID=2183) Over 1,000 voters were surveyed in each state, with a reported margin of error of +/- 3 percent. Medical Marijuana The poll revealed overwhelming voter support for the legalization of medical marijuana. In all three swing states, over 80 percent of poll participants approved of legalizing medical marijuana. The breakdown for medical marijuana legalization support in each swing state is as follows: • 84 - 14 percent in Florida • 84 - 15 percent in Ohio • 88 - 10 percent in Pennsylvania Recreational Marijuana The legalization of marijuana for personal recreational purposes was also supported by a majority of surveyed voters in each of the three swing states. The breakdown of voter support for recreational marijuana legalization according to the Quinnipiac poll is as follows: • 55 - 42 percent in Florida • 52 - 44 percent in Ohio • 51 - 45 percent in Pennsylvania Surprisingly, while the majority of voters polled in each swing state approved of legalizing marijuana for recreational use, over 80 percent said that they would be either unlikely to use or opposed to using marijuana recreationally themselves. 2016 Contender Perhaps the most interesting result to emerge from the Quinnipiac University poll was the strength of voter support for marijuana legalization in comparison to 2016 presidential candidate favorability. In terms of favorability ratings, both medical and recreational marijuana outranked frontrunner Hillary Clinton in all three swing states, with Clinton's favorability numbers scoring in the upper 40 to lower 50 percent range. Marijuana proponents in both Florida and Ohio, in addition to six other states, are actively pushing to see the issue of marijuana legalization appear on the ballot in 2016.