Majority in Pennsylvania say marijuana should be legal according to new poll

A majority of Pennsylvanians say it should be legal to buy marijuana for recreational purposes, according to the new Franklin & Marshall College poll.

The poll, which was released this morning, found 59 percent of voters said pot should be legal in Pennsylvania. The findings underscore a remarkable shift in public opinion on marijuana in a little more than a decade. In 2006, only 22 percent of registered voters supported legalizing marijuana, said G. Terry Madonna, the F&M poll’s director.

Support is strongest among younger voters, with 80 percent of those under 35 saying pot should be legal.

“Millennials are all in on it,” said Madonna, a professor of political science at F&M.

While the poll found a majority supports legalizing marijuana, it’s not necessarily a front-burner issue for many Pennsylvanians. Only 5 percent of voters said it’s the top priority for Pennsylvania.

Gov. Tom Wolf has said Pennsylvania should explore the idea of making marijuana legal.

To that end, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has undertaken a listening tour across the commonwealth to gauge public opinion on the issue. Many of the events, including those in Harrisburg and around central Pennsylvania, have found broad support for allowing legal sales of pot. [Read more at Penn Live]