2018 Michigan Marijuana Legalization Polls Show Strong Support For Proposal 1, Legal Pot Likely On The Way

The polls are looking good for Michigan residents who favor legalized marijuana.

With just days left before voters head to the polls, a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in Michigan has continued to be very popular with voters. As the Detroit News reported, polling shows that a majority of voters back Proposal 1 — and by a wide margin. A poll conducted by the Detroit News and WDIV found that 57 percent of respondents planned to vote to legalize marijuana while just 40 percent opposed.

As pollsters noted, most Michigan voters have already made up their minds on whether they support marijuana legalization, and most are in favor of it. That is especially true of younger voters, with 86 percent of voters age 18-29 in favor of legalization.

“Voters know where they stand on the issue of legalization,” Glengariff Group pollster Richard Czuba told the Detroit News. “But the one red flag I’d wave here is that if younger voters don’t materialize at the polls, this is going to be a closer proposal than it’s polling at right now.”

ClickonDetroit.com conducted its own polling on Proposal 1, finding that most people support legalizing marijuana, even if they don’t plan to smoke it. The news outlet conducted a self-selection poll that found support for Proposal 1 was at 77 percent with just 18 percent planning to vote against it.

The report found that many wanted to see marijuana legal for the tax revenue and to bring an end to criminalization, even if they have no plans to use it themselves. A total of 55 percent of respondents said they would use marijuana if Prop 1 passes, a full 22 percentage points lower than the total support. If Prop 1 were to fail, only 36 percent said they still planned to use marijuana.

“A similar 36% of respondents said they use marijuana now, so passing Prop 1 may increase the number of people using across the state,” the report noted.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: How are you voting on Prop 1 to legalize recreational marijuana in Michigan? A recent poll says this proposal will get enough votes to pass. https://t.co/xFtZeBhwAy pic.twitter.com/d296tGwVsC

— WILX News 10 (@wilxTV) October 31, 2018

An increasing number of states have moved to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, with the earliest adopters finding it has brought a tax revenue windfall. As the Denver Post reported, the state of Colorado collected $247 million in tax revenue from sales last year as marijuana shops brought in a record $1.51 billion in revenue across the state. Sales were especially high in communities near the state’s border, where visitors came to buy legal marijuana. Many Michigan voters hope that legalizing marijuana on Election Day this year could bring some of the same results.