A new YouGov survey has revealed that half of Australian voters support legalising home cultivation for personal use, with support climbing even higher when it comes to decriminalisation.
Last year, Legalise Cannabis MPs across New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia introduced identical bills simultaneously as part of a coordinated effort to allow individuals to grow and possess up to six cannabis plants at home and share cannabis with friends.
YouGov surveyed what it called "a nationally politically representative sample" of 1,555 voters between 1 and 5 December 2023, seeking their opinions on those proposals as well as on the ACT's decriminalisation model. The results showed Australian voters leaning more in favour than against on both questions.
Support for the Legalise Cannabis Party's home grow proposal stood at 50% among all respondents, while 31% were opposed and 19% remained undecided.
Voters aged 18 to 24 showed the strongest backing, with 63% saying they would vote in favour of such a measure in their state.
Support declined among older age groups, sitting at 54% for 25 to 34-year-olds, 53% for those aged 35 to 49, 46% for 50 to 64-year-olds, and 44% among voters aged 65 and over.
Among Labor voters, the bill was backed by 50% against 26% opposed, while Coalition voters were also in favour by 44% to 38%. Greens voters recorded the highest support at 70%, with just 13% opposed.
YouGov also tested attitudes toward the ACT's decriminalisation framework, under which adults may possess up to 50g of dried cannabis or 150g of fresh cannabis for personal use.
Overall, 54% of respondents said they would support comparable legislation in their own state, compared to 33% who were against.
On this question, the split along party lines was more pronounced. Labor voters backed decriminalisation by 62% to 24%, and Greens voters by 74% to 8%, while a majority of Coalition supporters were opposed, at 51% against and 38% in favour.
As with home grow, support for the ACT model was stronger among younger voters — 66% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 67% of 25 to 34-year-olds were in favour, followed by 63% of 35 to 49-year-olds and 54% of 50 to 64-year-olds.
Voters aged 65 and over were the only group to register net opposition, with 31% in favour and 55% against.
YouGov director of polling Amir Daftari described the results as "good news" for cannabis campaigners, saying the survey showed majority support for both propositions "consistent across states and age groups."
