High Support for Legalizing Marijuana at the Federal Level
By Abby Springs
As of April 2024, twenty-four states and Washington D.C. have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational use, with the drug legal in an additional number of states for medical use. However, marijuana is still illegal on the federal level and classified as a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD.
In a new survey, Data for Progress finds that 66% of voters, including 75% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and 54% of Republicans, support legalizing marijuana at the federal level for all adults over the age of 21.
The Biden administration is currently considering rescheduling marijuana, moving the drug from a Schedule I to Schedule III classification, alongside drugs like ketamine and testosterone. In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommended rescheduling the drug, and the final decision now lies with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
When asked whether they believe marijuana should be classified as a Schedule I or Schedule III drug, only 27% of voters say it should remain a Schedule I drug and 59% say it should be classified as a Schedule III.
Last year, President Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of simple marijuana possession, a non-violent federal offense. When asked whether they support or oppose the pardons, 76% of likely voters say they support them.
With over half of the U.S. population living in places where marijuana is legal for recreational use, it’s no surprise that loosening federal restrictions on marijuana is broadly popular. Americans across party lines agree that the current federal laws regarding marijuana are too restrictive and support legalizing marijuana on a federal level.
Abby Springs (@abby_springs) is the press secretary at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From April 11 to 12, 2024, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,207 U.S. likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.