Will voters in Utah and Idaho have their voices heard?

UTAH?!
Voters in Utah say they support adult-use cannabis legalization

Driving the news: Noble Predictive Insights and Keep Utah Medical released polling results this week that showed that 52% of Utah voters would support an adult-use legalization ballot measure. 38% said they would not support a ballot measure, while 9% said they were unsure.

Why it matters: According to the Cultural Currents Institute, Utah ranks 5th among all states as the most culturally conservative, based on 21 key indicators. So, for polling to suggest that legalization has a majority of voters on board, feels like a big deal, but perhaps not surprising. We’ve seen relatively conservative states, like North Carolina earlier week (number 10 on the Cultural Currents Institute list), consider cannabis legalization measures. 

What they’re saying: In their memo outlining the poll results, the team from Noble Predictive Insights wrote: “Traditionally, Republican groups are most likely to oppose legalization — but the margins are not overwhelming. Put simply YES wins the left and the middle and divides the right. In a red state like Utah, that’s enough to get a solid — though not overwhelming — margin of victory.”

What’s next? There was legislation this past legislative session that would have expanded the state’s medical cannabis program that failed to get a vote in the State Senate. However, the allowance of two additional medical cannabis dispensaries was included in a different bill this session, and it’s now awaiting the Governor’s signature. 

Speaking of voters: Legislators in Idaho, Utah’s neighbor to the north, are looking to take away voters’ voices – but only when it comes to legalization. They placed a measure on the 2026 ballot that, if passed, would prohibit legalization from ever reaching a ballot in Idaho. 

-JR

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