420 with CNW — Pew Survey Finds Variations in Attitudes to Cannabis Legalization Within Parties
Historically, the left has been open to more liberal policies while the right has always espoused conservative beliefs. This has been especially evident in cannabis reform, and except for a recent Republican-led cannabis bill, the GOP and its followers haven’t been big fans of legalizing the adult use of cannabis. A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that these disparities in political views not only vary between the two parties but also among party members themselves. Rather than two blocks with uniform political views, it’s more like a range of views that lean either right or left.
However, one thing both parties agree on is that cannabis should be available for medical use. Other than that, Democrats are more likely to support broad cannabis reform while Republicans can settle for modest reform. But when Pew surveyed individuals representing the nine political cohorts, it found that there was much more nuance in opinion. For instance, 60% of the “Ambivalent Right,” which consists of young conservatives, supported medical and recreational cannabis. This cohort holds conservative views about the government, economy, race and gender, but they were much more likely to back broader cannabis reform and abortion compared to fellow Republicans, Pew says.
Less than 50% of the “Populist Right” and “Committed Conservatives,” while only 33% of the “Faith and Flag Conservatives” backed full legalization. Individuals in this cohort are intensely conservative, Pew explains. Still, 47% support legalizing medical marijuana, and just 19% said that cannabis should be completely prohibited.
Committed conservatives have conservative views on most pertinent issues but have a somewhat softer edge, Pew says. An estimated 44% of this cohort said both medical and recreational cannabis should be legalized while 43% said it should only be used for therapeutic purposes. Conversely, the Populist Right tends to have lower education levels and is more likely to live in rural places. Some 45% of this group supported full legalization while 44% said only medical cannabis should be legal.
On the left, most of the Progressive Left (91%) backed full legalization compared to 65% of the Democratic Mainstays. The latter cohort is the oldest on average and makes up the majority of the left while the Progressive Left has very liberal views on nearly every issue. A reported 70% of the establishment liberals, who are described as Democrats with fairly progressive views but support more modest cannabis reform, backed full legalization.
The Outsider Left cohort, which has liberal views but is deeply dissatisfied with the political system, even the Democratic Party, supported full legalization at 73%. Overall, the survey found that 60% of its 5,109 respondents back broad legalization, 31% prefer medical marijuana legalization while just 8% supported outright prohibition.
As more companies such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) enter the cannabis industry in states with enabling laws, more people are likely to see firsthand that cannabis does have its merits and their opinion could swing in favor of ending prohibition at the federal level.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/RWBYF
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
Historically, the left has been open to more liberal policies while the right has always espoused conservative beliefs. This has been especially evident in cannabis reform, and except for a recent Republican-led cannabis bill, the GOP and its followers haven’t been big fans of legalizing the adult use of cannabis. A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that these disparities in political views not only vary between the two parties but also among party members themselves. Rather than two blocks with uniform political views, it’s more like a range of views that lean either right or left.
However, one thing both parties agree on is that cannabis should be available for medical use. Other than that, Democrats are more likely to support broad cannabis reform while Republicans can settle for modest reform. But when Pew surveyed individuals representing the nine political cohorts, it found that there was much more nuance in opinion. For instance, 60% of the “Ambivalent Right,” which consists of young conservatives, supported medical and recreational cannabis. This cohort holds conservative views about the government, economy, race and gender, but they were much more likely to back broader cannabis reform and abortion compared to fellow Republicans, Pew says.
Less than 50% of the “Populist Right” and “Committed Conservatives,” while only 33% of the “Faith and Flag Conservatives” backed full legalization. Individuals in this cohort are intensely conservative, Pew explains. Still, 47% support legalizing medical marijuana, and just 19% said that cannabis should be completely prohibited.
Committed conservatives have conservative views on most pertinent issues but have a somewhat softer edge, Pew says. An estimated 44% of this cohort said both medical and recreational cannabis should be legalized while 43% said it should only be used for therapeutic purposes. Conversely, the Populist Right tends to have lower education levels and is more likely to live in rural places. Some 45% of this group supported full legalization while 44% said only medical cannabis should be legal.
On the left, most of the Progressive Left (91%) backed full legalization compared to 65% of the Democratic Mainstays. The latter cohort is the oldest on average and makes up the majority of the left while the Progressive Left has very liberal views on nearly every issue. A reported 70% of the establishment liberals, who are described as Democrats with fairly progressive views but support more modest cannabis reform, backed full legalization.
The Outsider Left cohort, which has liberal views but is deeply dissatisfied with the political system, even the Democratic Party, supported full legalization at 73%. Overall, the survey found that 60% of its 5,109 respondents back broad legalization, 31% prefer medical marijuana legalization while just 8% supported outright prohibition.
As more companies such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) enter the cannabis industry in states with enabling laws, more people are likely to see firsthand that cannabis does have its merits and their opinion could swing in favor of ending prohibition at the federal level.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/RWBYF
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW420, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer
