The poll, which was conducted by Data for Progress, found that 60 percent of Republicans say they support the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, which was introduced by Harris in the Senate, where it is awaiting action.
The MORE Act would decriminalize marijuana, removing it from the controlled substance list, and would allow certain marijuana offenses to be expunged from a person’s record. The act would also create a trust fund from a national tax on marijuana, with money given to communities affected by the war on drugs.
According to the poll, among all likely voters, the MORE Act received 62 percent of support. The poll surveyed 1,235 likely voters from May 8 to 9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percent.
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
The poll also found that a majority of likely voters, 58 percent, said they agree that the federal government should legalize the use and sale of marijuana for adults nationwide. Thirty-one percent said they disagree, and 11 percent said they were not sure.
Among political party lines, the poll found that 69 percent of Democrats, 41 percent of independents and 54 percent of Republicans agreed that the use and sale of marijuana should be legalized by the federal government. In comparison, 23 percent of Democrats, 29 percent of independents and 39 percent of Republicans disagreed.
Eleven states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults: Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
A separate poll, conducted by YouGov, reported that 55 percent of Americans said that marijuana legalization in their state was a successful policy, with 19 percent saying it was a success only while 36 percent said it was more of a success than a failure. This poll surveyed 27,328 U.S. adults on May 20 and did not report a margin of error.
The Data for Progress poll also found that a majority of Americans, 60 percent, said they agree that police should stop arresting people for possession of marijuana intended for personal use, while 28 percent said the opposite and 11 percent said they were not sure.
Sixty-seven percent of Democrats, 47 percent of independents and 58 percent of Republicans agreed that people shouldn’t be arrested for possessing marijuana for personal use.