Nearly 70% of Americans are in favor of full cannabis legalization, according to a new poll by the Center for American Progress (CAP). The poll also reports that a similar number of respondents were in favor of clean slate legislation that would automatically seal the records of former cannabis offenders.
As support for cannabis reform grows across the country, legislators in several states and cities have already proposed or enacted laws to allow former marijuana offenders to seal, clear, or expunge their criminal records. Even with these new laws taking shape, there are still millions of Americans with pot convictions on their criminal records that interfere with job, work, housing, and education opportunities.
Between April 25th and May 1st of this year, CAP and GBA Strategies conducted an online poll of 1,000 registered voters throughout the country. The survey presented each respondent with a simple explanation of clean slate legislation, including arguments for and against. A total of 70% of voters said they either "strongly" or "somewhat" supported such legislation, while only 21% said they were opposed. The remaining 9% were undecided.