Polling shows that President Biden will receive a considerable favorability jump following marijuana being rescheduled.
According to nationwide polling around 60% of those likely to vote in the upcoming election support marijuana being moved away from its current Schedule I status. The survey found that among those made aware of the potential for marijuana to be rescheduled and of President Biden’s involvement in initiating the review process, his favorability rating increased by 11%.
The poll was conducted by Lake Research Partners, with participants surveyed prior to the DEA’s recent decision to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, confirmed by the Department of Justice on April 30. Since the poll was conducted before the announcement that the rescheduling process would proceed (rather than just being under review), there’s a chance that President Biden’s 11% increase in favorability could be even higher if marijuana is officially moved to Schedule III before November’s election.
According to polling averages from FiveThirtyEight, President Biden and former President Trump are within 1% of each other, with nearly 20% of voters currently undecided. In such a close election, an 11% swing in favorability, or any change in that range, could play a significant role.
The Lake Research Partners poll found that two-thirds of voters (66%) believe the President should accept the recommendation to “reclassify cannabis” compared to just 13% who say he should try to block it. Among voters ages 18 to 25, 84% believe President Biden should accept the recommendation, including 77% who feel that way strongly.
After surveyors simulated “an engaged debate” on marijuana rescheduling, including presenting numerous arguments against it, support remained exactly the same.
METHODOLOGY
Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey, which was conducted mixed mode, via phone (cell and landlines) and text-to-online. This survey reached a total of n=900 likely voters across the United States, including voters in battleground states (AZ, GA MI, NC, NV, PA and WI).
For a breakdown of the 10 biggest implications of marijuana being moved to Schedule III, click here. For an overview of the six steps required for the move to be made official, click here.
