Marijuana prohibitionists continue to lose fight, according to new survey

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US adults are increasingly leaning toward approval of legal marijuana

Although there continue to be various efforts by legalization opponents to cast marijuana in a negative light, a new poll has found that a majority of Americans do not believe marijuana is dangerous. As time goes on, cannabis is seeing a destigmatization by the population aware of the plant’s real health benefits. This has led to a large majority of citizens considering that the plant does not have any effects that threaten the health of human beings.

A total of 1,000 Americans were surveyed by Rasmussen Reports to find out their views on the perceived danger of marijuana, drug abuse and the idea that the plant is considered a gateway to more dangerous drugs. While nearly 60% of respondents said that drug abuse, in general, is getting worse and worse in the US, many of them also indicated that cannabis should not be seen as a dangerous substance. 28% of them said it is “not very dangerous,” while 29% said there is no danger at all from cannabis.

On the other hand, 12% said it is “very dangerous” and 23% said marijuana has some sense of danger. At the partisan level, a majority of Democrats (60%) do not consider marijuana to be dangerous. However, Republicans appear to have a more divided opinion. 48% say it is at least somewhat dangerous and 45% say it is not dangerous at all.

While a large majority suggested that they do not consider cannabis to be part of the country’s worsening drug abuse problem, Americans are evenly divided on the notion that marijuana is a gateway drug. 46% of respondents said it is “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that cannabis use “will lead to the use of more dangerous drugs. The same percentage said it is unlikely or not at all likely that this is the case.