Poll: AZ Voters Are Split on Recreational Marijuana Legalization

The latest Morrison-Cronkite Poll, by Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, found that 49% of Arizona voters support legalizing marijuana, an increase from 45% in the previous poll.

Arizona has two recreational marijuana legalization initiatives – The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol and Arizonans for Mindful Regulation – seeking to get onto the November 2016 ballot.

Below is an excerpt from the latest Morrison-Cronkite Poll:

At this point in time, less than a year before the election, voters are split almost equally in favoring (49 percent) or opposing legalization (51 percent), the expected ballot measure. More Democrats (64 percent) and independents (56 percent) favor legalization of marijuana than do Republicans (29 percent), according to the Morrison-Cronkite Poll.

“Predictably, those 30 and younger (69 percent) and those age 31 to 55 (57 percent) are more likely to favor legalization than those 56 and older (36 percent),” said David Daugherty, associate director at Morrison Institute, who oversees the survey. “It is important to note, Republicans and older adults vote in larger numbers than either Democrats or young adults, which would, at least at this point in time, point toward likely defeat of the legalization of recreational marijuana.”

Results from a previous Morrison-Cronkite Poll, released in March, found that 45 percent of Arizonans would “make all marijuana use legal for those 18 years of age and older,” while 42 percent would “allow for use of it for medical reasons only.” The remainder (13 percent) would “make all marijuana use illegal, including the use of marijuana for medical purposes.”