A majority of likely voters in Michigan approve of the legalization of recreational marijuana, according to the results of a new poll released on Tuesday. Michigan voters will be deciding on a cannabis legalization measure known as Proposal 1 this November.

According to the WDIV/Detroit News poll, 56.2 percent of Michigan voters support the legalization of recreational cannabis. Those against legalization totaled 38 percent, leaving another 5.8 percent yet to decide on the issue.

Support for cannabis legalization by political party affiliation was highest among Democratic voters. Respondents who report a strong affiliation to the Democratic Party approve of legalization by a margin of 71.1 percent to 24.3 percent opposed. Those who leaned Democratic supported legalization 70.3 percent to 17 percent against. In contrast, a minority of Republican voters support legalization. Only 41.3 percent of strong Republican voters favored legalization with 52.5 percent opposed. Voters who leaned Republican were evenly split on the issue at 49.4 percent both for and against.

By age group, cannabis legalization has the strongest support among young people. Michigan voters age 18-29 support legalization by a margin of 79.2 percent for and 19.5 percent opposed. Only 37.1 percent of voters age 65 and over supported the legalization of marijuana while 55.7 percent were opposed.

The live telephone poll of 600 Michigan registered voters likely to vote in the general election was conducted September 5 through September 7 by the Glengariff Group Inc. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. The survey was commissioned by television station WDIV Local 4 news and the Detroit News.

Strong Support For Legalization

Josh Hovey is the spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the group responsible for qualifying the legalization initiative for November’s ballot. He said recently in a campaign update from the National Cannabis Industry Association that a strong majority of the voters in Michigan support the legalization of recreational cannabis.

“Multiple opinion polls have shown that 60 percent of Michigan voters want to end cannabis prohibition and create a legalized and regulated system, so that’s a very strong starting position as we head into the campaign season,” said Hovey. “However, we know we can’t just rely on polls and we know the prohibitionists will continue to spread ‘Reefer Madness’ era misinformation about the initiative.”

Cannabis dispensary owner Mike Passerini said that legalizing cannabis will benefit local governments that are strapped for enough cash to provide essential services.

“Locking people up for growing or consuming a plant is simply not the best use of critical and limited tax dollars,” Passerini said. “Many municipalities and states across the country have recognized this fact and passed decriminalization ordinances in order to use law enforcement resources on serious crimes. Communities and states that embraced legalization have also witnessed economic development through the creation of new jobs and much needed tax revenues.”

Voters in Michigan will decide on Proposal 1 when they go to the polls for the general election on November 6. If passed, the measure would legalize the recreational use and sale of marijuana and establish a legal framework for the regulation and taxation of the commercial cannabis industry.