According to a new poll, the support for marijuana legislation in the state of New York outpaces the opposition by a margin of two to one.
A survey from Spectrum News and Ipsos asked respondents to rate their level of support for a variety of policy issues.
When it came to legalizing cannabis, 61 percent of New Yorkers said they’re in favor of enacting the reform at the state level, compared to 30 percent who are opposed.
Nine percent had said they’re undecided.
In another question, sixty percent of those surveyed similarly said they back federal marijuana legalization, while 30 percent said they’re against the policy and 10 percent weren’t sure.
The survey involved interviews with 1,451 adults from October 7-19 and was released days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said that the state will legalize marijuana “soon.”
According to the Governor, the tax revenue generated from cannabis sales will contribute to economic recovery efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“There are a lot of reasons to get it done, but one of the benefits is it also brings in revenue, and all states—but especially this state—we need revenue and we’re going to be searching the cupboards for revenue,” said Cuomo. “And I think that is going to put marijuana over the top.”
One of Cuomo’s top advisors said earlier this month that the plan is to try again to legalize cannabis in New York in early 2021.
“We’re working on this. We’re going to reintroduce this in our budget in January,” he said. “We think we can get it done by April 1.”
Voters in neighboring New Jersey appear positioned to approve a ballot referendum to legalize cannabis as well. A recent suervey showed that 65 percent of New Jersey voters are in favor of the reform proposal.
