New data shows a majority of Michigan residents in favor of recreational weed. The state already has an active medical marijuana scene and, as these new numbers show, there appears to be an upswell of support for making recreational weed legal as well.

New Data

The most recent data comes from a survey commissioned by the Detroit News and WDIV Local 4. It was designed to gauge how Michigan voters feel about a variety of issues, many of which could possibly come up on the November 2018 ballot.

Among many other topics, the survey asked people about the possibility of legalizing recreational cannabis. More precisely, the survey asked voters “if they support or oppose a November ballot proposal that would legalize marijuana use for recreational purposes.”

Here’s how Michiganders responded:

56.6 percent said they were in favor of making recreational weed legal.

36.7 percent said they were opposed to the idea.

The remaining 6.7 percent said they were still undecided.

Political Party Lines

The recently published report analyzed the data further and found some interesting trends.

For starters, support for legalization tended to follow traditional party lines. The majority of Michigan residents in favor of recreational weed were of the Democratic persuasion. Seventy-one percent of “Strong Democrats” support legalization, 67 percent of “Lean Democrats” support legalization, and just over 51 percent of “Independents” support legalization.

On the other hand, Republican voters were the only groups in which the majority of voters opposed legalization. Fifty-three percent of “Strong GOP” voters oppose legalization, and 48.4 percent of “Lean GOP” voters oppose it.

Interestingly, the margins of difference were significantly tighter among conservative voters. More specifically, Republicans were much closer to an even 50-50 split between those who support legalization and those who oppose it.

Meanwhile, Democratic voters were more unified in their support of legalization. Almost three-fourths of Democrats said they support the idea.

Firsthand Experience With Weed Makes a Big Difference

The report also found that firsthand experience with cannabis was a major indicator of whether or not a person supports legalization.

The survey found that 47.5 percent of voters have tried cannabis, while 48.8 percent have not. Among those who have consumed cannabis before, a full 72.7 percent said they favor making recreational weed legal. Only 22.8 percent of people who have smoked before said they oppose the idea.

On the other hand, 51.5 percent of those who have never consumed cannabis said they oppose legalization. The other 40.6 percent of this group are in favor of it.

Final Hit: Majority of Michigan Residents In Favor of Recreational Weed

It’s been an up-and-down road for cannabis legalization in Michigan. The state established its medical marijuana program in 2008. It has been extremely active ever since.

Then last fall, the government threatened to shut down all dispensaries in order to roll out new regulations. Medical marijuana patients, activists, and business owners quickly condemned the move. Ultimately, in November 2017, the state chose to allow dispensaries to remain open.

While all this was happening, the question of recreational weed remained a hot topic. A 2016 attempt to legalize recreational cannabis failed to materialize.

Since then, there has been a growing effort to get a legalization bill on the November 2018 ballot. And judging by this latest set of data, it looks like the majority of Michigan residents are now in favor of recreational weed.