Demographics and Party Affiliation

• Demographics
• Party affiliation
• Strength of support

Many of the poll numbers and percentages in this report are derived from press releases or newspaper articles. As a consequence, the underlying cross tabulations of the data that would show age, sex, income level, or party affiliation is largely missing. For a few studies, though, underlying data are available.

Demographics

On the other hand, the 2001 Maryland Poll (#44) found that 70% of men, but only 62% of women believed that doctors should prescribe marijuana to AIDS and cancer patients. Conversely, 25% of men and 31% of women felt its possession should remain a crime. The dramatic reversal of percentage of women favoring medicinal marijuana likely lies in question wording.

Blacks and whites appear to be more or less equal in their support of this issue. At 39% vs. 30%, the 2002 Maryland Poll (#52) found whites a little more likely to vote for pro-medical marijuana candidates than blacks. But at 66% vs. 67%, whites and blacks are about equal in their belief that physicians should be able to prescribe marijuana (as opposed to any possession remaining a criminal offense) in the annual Maryland survey fielded one year earlier (#44).

As might be expected, younger people are more apt to be in favor of medical marijuana than their older counterparts. The Delta-9 study of Bernadillo County voters (#37) found that 88% of Gen X’ers (18-39 years old) and 80% of Baby Boomers (40-59) agreed that New Mexico legislators should widen patient access to marijuana. The favorable percentage fell to 57% for the WW II generation.

The March 2002 New Hampshire survey (#66), on the other hand, revealed that the age range most resistant to allowing the medicinal use of marijuana is 40-49 years old with 18% in strong opposition. A main parenting age, particularly of teenagers, this cohort’s disdain may reflect concerns about teen drug abuse.

Party Affiliation

Not surprisingly, Democrats are more in favor of medicinal marijuana than Republicans, a fact that is born out in the Ten State Poll (#56-65), the Chamberlain Research/IMMLY survey (#54), and the Maryland Poll ((#52 & #44). In almost all areas and with respect to almost all questions, the spread between Republicans and Democrats is at least 10%, if not closer to 20%.

Surprisingly though, the Republican view of medical marijuana in all of these polls is favorable by 50% or more. In the Ten State Poll, Republican support for medical marijuana laws in the states that have them exceeds two-thirds. In states without such laws, Republican support for passing them equals almost 60%. However, Democrats favor such legislation by margins of 75% or better. Interestingly, Independent support for medical marijuana falls about 5% short of Democratic support, meaning that those who call themselves Democrats are slightly more apt to be in favor of medicinal cannabis than Independents, but much more likely to be in favor of it than Republicans.

Opposition to medical cannabis follows a similar trend with respect to the Republican/Democrat split. In the IMMLY poll (#54), only 13% of Democrats were opposed to the Wisconsin State Legislature passing a law to allow seriously ill patients to use marijuana, while 18% of Republicans took a similar stand.

History also reinforces the lag between Democratic and Republican support for medical cannabis. The CBS News Telephone Poll (#6) conducted nationwide in 1997 found that 64% of Democrats thought that doctors should be allowed to prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illness. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans agreed with this claim. However, unlike the Ten State Poll, this study found Independent support at 66% exceeding that for Democrats.

Strength of Support

To illustrate the impact of strength of support, the Ten State Poll (#56-65) as a sum found that 36% of Republicans would be "much more likely" to vote for elected officials who embrace medical marijuana as opposed to only 16% who say they would be "much less likely." Hence, twice the number of Republicans hold strong beliefs in favor of medicinal cannabis, than Republicans who feel strongly opposed to it.

If Republican support is high, the Democratic endorsement of medical cannabis is unambiguously rock solid. More than 50% of Democrats are "much more likely" to vote for champions of the issue, with another 17.2% simply "more likely." In sum, over three-quarters of Democrats will likely cast their ballots in favor of pro-medical marijuana candidates. With only about 7% "much less likely" to vote for such officials, Democrats strongly in favor of medicinal cannabis candidates outnumber those strongly opposed by seven to one.

Clearly, the depth and breadth of support for medical marijuana represents a major political opportunity. Through it, political parties can solidify their own bases while assuming leadership on an issue that also enjoys substantial cross-party and general public support.