Almost 3 in 4 Maryland voters favor legalizing marijuana ahead of November referendum: poll

An overwhelming majority of Maryland voters said in a new Washington Post-University of Maryland survey that they are in favor of legalizing marijuana ahead of November’s midterm election. 

The poll, published on Wednesday, found that 73 percent of respondents said they’ll support the proposed legalization, while 23 percent of those surveyed oppose it. 

Eighty-seven percent of respondents under the age of 40 support legalizing weed in the state, according to the poll, as do 77 percent of African American participants and 70 percent of white ones. 

Eighty-one percent of registered Independent voters in Maryland support the proposed referendum, along with 78 percent of registered Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans. 

Maryland could become the 20th state, alongside Washington, D.C., to legalize adult recreational weed use if state voters pass the measure. 

The proposed referendum will allow residents to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of the recreational drug and will create cannabis business assistance and community reinvestment and repair funds. 

Maryland already has a legal medical marijuana program. 

The Post-University of Maryland poll was conducted from Sept. 22 to Sept. 27 with a total of 810 state residents participating in the survey. The poll’s margin of error was 4 percentage points.