How many in North Carolina support medical marijuana?

North Carolina lawmakers are considering billing that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for some medical problems.

North Carolina is among a minority of states that have not legalized any form of marijuana.

A major state Senate committee recently announced preliminary approval to Senate Act 711that would enable cannabis to treat cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, and other similar debilitating diseases.

Before the meeting, Democratic Senator Wiley Nickel claimed that most North Carolinians support medical marijuana.

“Even though over 75% of the state supports medical marijuana, we still have an uphill battle for final passage in the Republican-controlled legislature.” tweeted Nickel collecting money for to run for Congress.

Is the Support for Medical Marijuana Really That High?

Not consistently.

Available surveys

Generally speaking, national surveys show increasing support for marijuana legalization. In 2018, PolitiFact reported that support for legal marijuana has grown from 35% to 62% in just ten years.

Gallup, who has polled on the subject since 1969, found last year that a record 68% of Americans are in favor of full legalization. And earlier this year the Pew Research Center found that 91% of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal in some form.

The North Carolinians, meanwhile, have not been asked often whether medical marijuana should be legalized. While available surveys show support for the topic, Nickel is slightly over-enthusiastic.

In 2015, a Public policy survey found that 69% of 845 registered voters in North Carolina supported marijuana for medical purposes. The error rate was 3.4%.

In 2017, and Elon University survey found that 80% of 506 North Carolina voters in a live caller phone poll said they supported the idea. The error rate was 4.36%.

In 2020, a Nexstar / Emerson College Survey found that 73% of 717 registered voters approved medical marijuana. The error rate was 3.6%.

Another one in 2021 Elon University survey found that 73% of the 1,455 North Carolinians interviewed in an online survey support it. The “credibility interval” of the survey was 2.7%.

Those numbers are high, but not consistently above 75%, as Nickel said. Nickel’s office quoted a News & Observer for its part history that described medical marijuana support in the state as “nearly” 75%.

David McLennan, a political science professor who leads the survey at Meredith College, says he is skeptical that more than 75% of North Carolinians support medical marijuana.

“It seems to me that North Carolina is generally in favor of legalizing medical marijuana,” McLennan said. “The support – at least as evidenced by the four polls – suggests that support is pretty consistent and doesn’t seem to be growing.”

Our verdict

Wiley Nickel said “over 75% of the state supports medical marijuana”.

Nickel rounds up. Support for medical marijuana topped 75% in only one of four 2015 surveys.

However, each of the four surveys shows support for medical marijuana of around 70% or more. So he’s not far.

His statement is partly correct, but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. We rate it as half true.