Majority of Arkansas voters support legalizing marijuana, poll finds

According to a new poll from Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College, a majority of Arkansas voters support the measure to legalize the use of marijuana.

The poll tested 961 Arkansas voters, asking their opinion on the issue of recreational marijuana.

When asked, “What do you think should be the legal status of marijuana in Arkansas – legal for use by adults 21 and over, legal only for medical purposes, or broadly illegal for any reason,” 53.5% of voters said “Legal for adults” while 32% said “medical only.”

53.5%  Legal for adults
32%     Medical only
10.5%  Illegal
4%       Don’t know

“With the prospect that a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana could be on the ballot this fall, we wanted to test voter attitudes on the issue,” said Roby Brock, Talk Business & Politics editor-in-chief. “We also are gauging opinions on the change that could dramatically alter the ballot and initiative process. On both measures, we get a clear read on where voters stand today.”

Dr. Jay Barth, a politics professor at Hendrix, said that Arkansans have become used to the “presence of visible, legal marijuana in the state.” Barth noted that 71% of Democrats and 64% of independents support recreational marijuana. [Read more at THV11]