Kansas survey: 65% back medical cannabis legalisation, 58.3% back recreational

The Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University has published Kansas Speaks Fall 2026, a statewide public opinion survey. Its Section 7 reports views on cannabis legalisation.

What the survey found

• Voting intentions. 59.3% of respondents said they were highly or somewhat likely to vote for a candidate who supports medical marijuana legalisation when deciding whom to vote for in the Kansas Legislature. 17.2% said they were unlikely to do so (Q31).
• Medical marijuana. 65% strongly or somewhat supported legalising medical marijuana in general. 15.3% opposed (Q32).
• Recreational marijuana. 58.3% strongly or somewhat supported legalising recreational marijuana in general. 21.3% opposed (Q33). The report notes that support was lower than for medical marijuana.

Separately, in its Section 4 on "sin taxes", the report records 60.9% support for legalising recreational marijuana for people aged 21 and over so that the State of Kansas could tax it, with 20.9% opposed (Q28). That question was framed as an alternative revenue source.

Method

The survey ran online from 23 September to 16 October 2026. Fieldwork was conducted by QualtricsXM, which distributed the questionnaire to its panel. 603 Kansas adults responded. The Institute weighted results by age, gender, education and party registration, bringing the analysed total to 585 cases, and the report's analyses use the weighted data. The Institute funded the survey from its own operating reserves.

What the report does not say

The report gives no margin of error in the sections reviewed. It does not set out any legislative timetable, bill or regulatory step on cannabis. Results by age, education, gender, race, political orientation and income appear in Appendix C of the report.