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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is US polling on marijuana legalization consistently borne out by election results?

Friday, November 13, 2020

By Christopher Hutton

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YES

Polls show support for marijuana legalization has been steadily rising since 1989, reaching 67% in 2019, according to Pew Research Center. Gallup reported a similar number, 68%, in November 2020.

Ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana have continued to succeed in state after state, regardless of other conservative or liberal voting patterns. Voters in five more states legalized marijuana for either medical or recreational use in the 2020 election. Mississippi and South Dakota approved medical marijuana measures. South Dakota, Arizona, Montana and New Jersey approved recreational marijuana usage. Thirty-six states now permit medical use; 15 states allow adult recreational use.

"Men, younger adults, college graduates and those in households with incomes of at least $100,000 are more likely than their counterparts to favor legalization," Gallup reported.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Pew Research: Two-thirds of Americans support marijuana legalization

Gallup: Support for legal marijuana inches up to new high

NORML: Marijuana polls and surveys

Marijuana Business Daily: Marijuana election results 2020

National Conference of State Legislatures: State medical marijuana laws

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.