Most Americans Back Legalizing Marijuana, But Trump Voters Not On Board, Conservative Group’s Poll Shows Amid Rescheduling Rumors

Marijuana legalization poll shows a country ready to move on, even as the knives are still out. Picture it like a bar at last call: the regulars divide into camps, one waving for the check, the other arguing for one more round. A new YouGov survey commissioned by the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center says 57 percent of Americans support legalization—“somewhat” or “strongly.” The headline is simple: most people want cannabis legal. The subtext is messier. Trump voters skew against it—except the younger ones, who break from the script. And hovering over the smoke, like a neon sign buzzing in the rain, is a looming federal decision on rescheduling that could shove the industry from Schedule I exile to Schedule III purgatory.

The splits are stark, sometimes counterintuitive, and they tell the story of America’s cannabis culture war better than any stump speech. Voters 46 and up who backed Trump mostly oppose legalization. Younger Trump voters are nearly a coin flip, with a plurality in favor. Among people who voted for Kamala Harris, support is strong, but here’s the curveball: older Harris voters outpace younger Harris voters in their enthusiasm. Parents are more cautious than non-parents. And when asked whether legalization brings more societal benefits or costs, younger and older Harris voters largely say benefits; Trump voters, both young and old, see more costs. Polls aren’t gospel, but they are a mirror—and this one shows a country negotiating with its past while bargaining for its future. As one conservative researcher framed it, this is the outline of a new coalition worried about the speed and shape of cannabis normalization, a point he elaborated on in his own words here.

By the numbers

• 57% of respondents support legalization overall.
• A majority of Trump voters 46+ oppose, while a 49% plurality of Trump voters 18–45 support.
• Among Harris voters, support is high in both age groups—especially older voters (87%) versus younger (71%).
• Adults 18–45 without kids are more supportive (60%) than parents (52%).
• Many Harris voters say legalization brings more benefits than costs; many Trump voters say the opposite.

Hovering over this polling is the policy thunderhead: rescheduling. Moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III wouldn’t be legalization. It would still be federally prohibited, but the ground underfoot would change. The dreaded 280E tax wall would crack, letting legitimate businesses finally deduct ordinary expenses and breathe like real companies. Research barriers would loosen. And depending on the contours of any executive directive, we could see sidecar reforms that matter to operators and patients alike—like improved banking access and potential Medicare coverage for CBD, ideas already surfacing in policy conversations and reporting, echoed in Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Order Could Include Industry Banking And CBD Medicare Coverage Provisions, Sources Say. To the market, that’s not semantics; it’s survival. To voters, it’s the difference between a headline and a life.

Of course, policy is never a clean plate. One of Congress’s loudest skeptics argues a president can’t unilaterally reschedule by fiat, a legal and political debate captured in GOP Congressman Says Trump ‘Technically’ Can’t Reschedule Marijuana On His Own, But Reversing It In Congress Would Be A ‘Heavy Lift’. Even if agencies move, unwinding it legislatively would demand muscle Congress rarely shows. Meanwhile, the ground game keeps evolving: a push to protect tenants from eviction for lawful use highlights how cannabis policy now intersects with housing rights as much as criminal justice—see New Congressional Bill Would Let People Use Marijuana In Public Housing Without Being Evicted. That’s the quiet revolution: less about slogans, more about whether your landlord, bank, or insurer treats cannabis like reality, not contraband.

Step outside Washington and the map gets weirder. Some places are still itching to turn back the clock, even after years of revenue and regulation. In Maine, a bid to rewind legalization met blunt criticism from inside the GOP itself—captured in Maine Initiative To Roll Back Marijuana Legalization Is ‘Really Dumb,’ GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Says—a reminder that marijuana policy reform no longer cleaves neatly along party lines. That’s why this latest polling matters: it doesn’t just predict who wins an argument on cable news; it signals where the legal cannabis market, voters, and regulators will collide next. The country is negotiating the terms of a future it already lives in. If you’re trying to make sense of the noise—or just want something dependable for your own ritual—pull up a chair and browse our latest selections here: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.