Most Young Republicans Favor Marijuana Legalization

Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Although the Republican Party as a whole has not been at the forefront of supporting marijuana legalization, younger people who identify themselves with the GOP may force traditionalists to change their views.

A Pew Research Center survey says that close to two-thirds of people ages 18-to-34 who claim to be Republican back legalizing the possession and sale of pot while 47 percent of those 35-to-50 feel the same way.

As expected, a higher number of younger Democrats are in favor of doing away with criminal penalties for owning or selling marijuana: 77 percent in the 18-to-34 age group and 61 percent of those 35-to-50.

Nonetheless, Republicans running for president and other state and local offices are cognizant of the shift in attitudes about pot as they vie for the votes of young people, who have generally sided with Democrats in more recent elections.

Interestingly, Pew says that more liberal opinions about marijuana among millennials are in synch with their growing acceptance of same-sex marriage. Just over six in ten Americans in that generation who identify themselves as Republican also back the rights of gays and lesbians to wed legally.

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