Poll: 63% of North Carolina adults support legalizing recreational marijuana, including a majority of Republicans

A new SurveyUSA poll conducted for WRAL and WSOC found that 63 percent of North Carolina adults support legalizing recreational marijuana, according to WRAL and Marijuana Moment. Marijuana Moment reported that 26 percent said it should remain illegal and 11 percent were not sure.

According to WRAL, support for recreational legalization was 73 percent among Democrats, 52 percent among Republicans and 65 percent among independents. Adults 65 and older were the only group without majority support, split 42 percent to 42 percent with 16 percent undecided, WRAL reported.

The poll found 74 percent support legalizing medical marijuana and 15 percent oppose it, according to WRAL. Marijuana Moment reported that medical legalization was backed by 65 percent of Republicans. The poll interviewed 900 North Carolina adults from Oct. 7 to 11, according to Marijuana Moment.

According to WRAL, the Republican-led legislature has for years refused to allow votes on bills to legalize or decriminalize recreational marijuana. The state Senate has passed medical marijuana bills in several recent years, but the House has never voted on that legislation. WRAL also reported that an advisory council formed by Gov. Josh Stein is recommending that lawmakers legalize marijuana through a tightly regulated system of retail sales to adults.

SurveyUSA president Ken Alper said residents are "much more comfortable with it than they would have been 10 or 20 years ago," according to WRAL.

The poll measures public opinion only; it does not change state law.