New High for Legal Marijuana
Support for cannabis legalization in the U.S. is stronger than ever before, according to a Gallup Poll released November 9. It found two out of three Americans (68%) think the use of marijuana should be made legal, while just 32% think it should remain illegal. This includes majorities of most demographic subgroups, including gender, age, education and household income. Support is also steadily growing stronger among Republicans, with half (48%) now in favor of legalization.
According to Gallup:
Since 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, there has been a slow trickle of states that have followed suit. Over that period, Americans’ support for marijuana legalization has risen 20 points to a record-high 68%. This measure has enjoyed majority support from the public since 2013. Additionally, Gallup data from earlier this year find that 70% of U.S. adults now consider smoking marijuana to be morally acceptable, marking a five-percentage-point uptick in one year.