Key Findings

• Since the passage of California Proposition 215 in 1996, sixty-six separate, scientific polls and studies have been conducted about medical marijuana both nationwide and in more than thirty states, representing the opinions of more than 50,000 respondents.

• Of those respondents, more than two-thirds (68%) aggregately support the medical use of cannabis. Those who oppose medicinal cannabis represent only one quarter of the populace.

• Favorable public opinion toward medical marijuana has increased significantly over the past six years.

• Polls taken prior to medicinal cannabis ballot initiatives successfully predict their passage every time.

• When the news covers medical marijuana, the public tracks it more closely than most other health issues.

• An estimated nine million people in the United States use cannabis medicinally.

• Over the last ten years, nearly one-quarter of a million people in the United States have been arrested on medical-marijuana-related offenses.

• The public believes the reports of patients and health professionals regarding the therapeutic value of cannabis; this widespread support should compel lawmakers to shift the policy on the issue.

• Democrats who "strongly favor" candidates who endorse medical cannabis outnumber those who "strongly oppose" it by seven to one. Republicans who "strongly favor" such candidates outnumber those "strongly opposed" by two to one. 

• As many as two thirds of the voting populace will reward candidates who support medicinal cannabis. Fewer than one in four voters would more likely cast their ballot for a candidate that supports its prohibition.

• The depth and breadth of support for medical marijuana represents a major opportunity for the political party that chooses to seize it. By supporting this issue, the party can solidify its own base while assuming leadership on an issue that also enjoys substantial cross-party and general public support.