Poll Shows Slim Majority of Minnesota Voters Support Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization

After an adult-use cannabis legalization measure was defeated in the Minnesota Legislature earlier this year, a new poll has revealed that a slim majority of the state’s voters support legalization.

According to a Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll, 53% of Minnesota voters believe the state should legalize adult-use cannabis, 26% oppose legalization and 11% are undecided on the issue, the Star Tribune reported.

The poll revealed that 70% of Democrats, 60% of independents, and 29% of Republicans support adult-use legalization, according to the news outlet.

Poll results also showed that roughly 60% of respondents ages 18-49 support legalization, while about half of those ages 50-64 and 47% of those 65 and older also support it, the Star Tribune reported.

The findings are based on interviews with 800 Minnesota voters conducted from Sept. 12 through Sept. 14, according to the news outlet.

The most recent poll results show increasing support for adult-use cannabis legalization in Minnesota; a Star Tribune/MPR News Poll conducted in February 2020 revealed that 51% of voters said cannabis should be legalized in the state, the Star Tribune reported.

The Minnesota House passed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill last year, but the legislation ultimately stalled in the Senate.

Lawmakers did manage to pass legislation this year that allows for the sale of cannabis edibles and beverages infused with hemp-derived THC; the new law took effect July 1.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who is running for reelection this year, supports legalization and included an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal in his state budget this year, although it was stripped from the final budget.

Walz’s Republican opponent, Scott Jensen, has said the issue should be left up to Minnesota’s voters through a constitutional ballot amendment, the Star Tribune reported.