Majority of North Carolina Voters Support Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization, Poll Shows

The majority of North Carolina voters support the legalization of cannabis for both medical and adult-use purposes, according to a WRAL News poll released April 12.

The poll, conducted through SurveyUSA, revealed that 72% of the state’s voters are in favor of medical cannabis legalization and 57% support adult-use legalization, WRAL reported.

Eighteen percent of respondents said medical cannabis should continue to be illegal, while 32% said adult-use cannabis should not be legalized, according to the news outlet.

Of the Democrats polled, 73% said medical cannabis should be legalized, 15% said it should remain illegal and 10% responded that they weren’t sure, WRAL reported.

Sixty-three percent of Democrats polled said adult-use cannabis should be legalized, 26% said it should remain illegal and 12% responded that they weren’t sure, according to the news outlet.

Of the Republicans polled, 64% said medical cannabis should be legalized, 26% said it should remain illegal and 10% responded that they weren’t sure, WRAL reported.

Forty-five percent of Republicans polled said adult-use cannabis should be legalized, 45% said it should remain illegal and 10% responded that they weren’t sure.

SurveyUSA randomly polled 2,500 registered voters in North Carolina from April 6 through April 10. Results have credibility intervals of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for the question regarding medical cannabis legalization and 2.7 percentage points for the question regarding adult-use, according to WRAL.

Despite the support for legalization, cannabis policy reform has been slow-going in North Carolina.

Legislation pending in the Legislature, Senate Bill 711, aims to legalize cannabis for patients with a list of qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The bipartisan bill, called the NC Compassionate Care Act, is sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Rob Lowe and backed by Republican Sens. Bill Rabon and Michael Lee.

S.B. 711 made progress in the North Carolina Senate last year, gaining the approval of three committees before lawmakers ultimately decided to postpone a full Senate vote until 2022.

RELATED: North Carolina Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill Expected to Resurface Next Year

The Legislature is scheduled to convene for a short session on May 18, adjourning on June 30.