Psychedelic Gateway: Examining the Effect of Normalization on State-Level Support for Cannabis and Psychedelic Legalization

• In Event: Substance Use Research in Times of Social Transformation

Abstract

Cannabis and psychedelics are widely used illicit substances in the United States, yet public opinion and state policies surrounding them have shifted significantly in recent years. Although both remain prohibited under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, cannabis is now legal for medical and/or recreational use in most states, and several states have begun reforming psychedelic policy. While research has extensively examined whether cannabis use leads to harder substances, far less attention has been paid to whether support for cannabis legalization serves as a gateway to support for psychedelic legalization. This paper examines whether public support for cannabis legalization predicts support for psychedelic legalization, within broader debates about stigma, moral values, and policy normalization. Using recent survey data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), we estimate logistic regression models that account for individual characteristics and state policy contexts. We find that attitudes toward legalization are deeply embedded in moral, religious, and political worldviews. Emphasis on the moral foundation of purity is especially central: evangelicals and highly religious Americans are the least supportive of legalization, while religiously unaffiliated Americans are the most supportive. Political ideology also strongly influences public opinion. Finally, support for psychedelic legalization is significantly higher among those who support cannabis legalization, suggesting that cannabis legalization may function as a gateway to broader drug policy reform.

Authors

• Sara Vogel, N/A

• DIANA ORCES, American University