Seven in 10 (70%) Florida voters approve of recreational marijuana while just 29 percent oppose, according to a recent poll from the University of North Florida (UNF).
The poll, conducted by UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL), surveyed Florida voters on a range of policy issues, including constitutional amendments, the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and more. The UNF PORL Florida Statewide poll surveyed 1,452 registered Florida voters between Feb. 25 and March 7.
The question about marijuana, specifically, asked voters the following: Do you support or oppose allowing adults in Florida aged 21 and older to legally possess and purchase small amounts of marijuana for recreational use?
Nearly half (45%) of all respondents said they ‘strongly approve’ of the measure, while one-quarter (25%) said they ‘somewhat support’ it, totaling 70 percent in favor of marijuana legalization. In contrast, 19 percent of respondents said they ‘strongly oppose’ while 10 percent said they ‘somewhat oppose.’
Across all demographics, the strongest support for marijuana legalization amongst Florida voters came from those aged 18-24 (89%), ranking just ahead of those aged 25-34 (88%). Interestingly, amongst respondents aged 25-34, two-thirds (67%) said they ‘strongly approve’ of legalization, while less than half of 18-24 year olds (47%) said they ‘strongly approve.’ Furthermore, three-quarters (75%) of respondents aged 35-44 approve of legalization, ahead of those aged 55-64 (66%), 45-54 (62%), and 65-plus (59%).
By gender, 74 percent of men support marijuana legalization, including 52 percent who ‘strongly support’ the measure, compared to 66 percent of women who approve, with 39 percent saying they ‘strongly support’ the measure.
By political affiliation, registered Democrats were more supportive of cannabis legalization (76%) than registered Republicans (57%). Three in 10 (30%) Republicans said they ‘strongly oppose’ marijuana legalization, compared to 13 percent of Democrats. Amongst respondents with no political party affiliation, 78 percent said they support legalization.
By race/ethnicity, three-quarters of Black respondents (75%) support the measure, ahead of Whites (72%), Hispanics (62%) and ‘Other’ (59%). And by education, respondents with or without college education equally supported marijuana legalization at a 70 percent clip, falling in line with the overall 70 percent support amongst all respondents.
“Efforts to put recreational marijuana in front of voters in 2024 are in the beginning stages, but support for it is high across the political spectrum,” said Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science. “If it makes it onto the ballot next year, and that’s a big ‘if,’ it has a good chance of reaching the 60 percent supermajority needed to pass.”
UNF’s PORL Florida Statewide poll has a margin of sampling error of +/- 2.57 percentage points. Full survey data can be found here.
