Let States Regulate Marijuana, GOP Voters Say

Republicans generally don’t like the federal government telling them what they can and can’t do, and that ideology apparently carries over into the cannabis realm for many.

A new study released this week found that 64% of Republicans in Iowa and 67% in New Hampshire want the next president of the United States to respect state marijuana laws. Iowa and New Hampshire are generally considered bellwether states for how a given presidential contender is doing, so how local Republican voters feel about cannabis could help sway GOP candidates.

The survey was conducted by Public Policy Polling and paid for by the Marijuana Majority.

“Politicians running to become our next president should take note of just how uniformly voters in these key states want to end federal marijuana prohibition,” said Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, in a press release.

This year, two GOP presidential candidates – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio – have come out against marijuana reform. Both also said they would enforce federal prohibition on marijuana, effectively ending President Barack Obama’s largely hands-off approach.

The poll also found that 80% of Democrats in Iowa want to protect state autonomy on cannabis laws, as do 70% of independents. In New Hampshire, 77% of Democrats and 76% of independents want the next president to respect state laws on marijuana.

The poll included 1,500 registered voters in Iowa and 841 in New Hampshire.