Survey finds most Kansans support marijuana legalization

FORT HAYS (KSNT) - The 2023 Kansas Speaks fall survey by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs found most Kansans polled were in favor of marijuana legalization.

The Kansas Speaks survey was conducted from Sept. 20 to Oct. 10, 2023, and surveyed a panel of almost 500 Kansans age 18 and older. The survey asked a variety of questions on topics such as overall quality of life, the economy, government, public policy, education and housing.

The survey found 67.2% of those polled supported the legalization of recreational marijuana to allow state taxation for people 21 and older with 16.9% opposed.

Of those polled, individuals aged 35 to 44 years old were most likely to support legalization of marijuana with 63.2% in strong support of legalization. The strongest opposition came from individuals 65 years or older with 24% in strong opposition to marijuana legalization.

Most Republicans and Democrats were in favor of legalization with 41% of Republicans in favor and 52.8% of Democrats in favor.

Participants were also asked if they would vote for a candidate who supported marijuana legalization. Almost 64% of those polled said they were "highly" or "somewhat likely" to vote for a candidate who supported marijuana legalization. Nearly 15% of those polled said it was "unlikely".

Of those polled, individuals aged 35 to 44 years old were most likely to support candidates who supported medical marijuana legalization with 63.1% in strong support of legalization. The strongest opposition came from individuals 65 years old or older with 13.4% in strong opposition to marijuana legalization.

To stay up to date on the latest local news, click here to download the KSNT News app for IOS or Android.