This is the first public poll to find majority support for marijuana legalization in Delaware

A new University of Delaware poll reported by the News Journal found 56 percent support legalizing marijuana use. Only 39 percent of adults in the state oppose legalization.

The only age group that continues to oppose legalization is senior citizens, so support is likely to increase as this demographic group is steadily replaced.

To my knowledge this is the first public poll to find majority support for marijuana legalization in Delaware that wasn’t paid for by an advocacy group. The Marijuana Policy Project paid for a poll at the beginning of the year and it found support for legalization at only 51 percent at that time.

Hopefully, the poll combined with the fact that marijuana was recently decriminalized in their neighboring state of Maryland will spur the state government to finally move towards reform. Currently, possession of any a very small amount of marijuana in the state is a misdemeanor and is punishable with up to six months in jail.

Jon Walker is the author of After Legalization: Understanding the future of marijuana policy

Photo by Mike Herbst under Creative Commons license