Awareness of the positive benefits of marijuana continues to grow
Support for the legalization of marijuana in the US is at an all-time high. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center shows that approximately 62% of all adult now support marijuana. This is double the amount recorded during Pew’s last poll, conducted in 2000, and is perfectly timed ahead of a number of elections to be held next month.
The poll revealed that the vast majority of millennials – 74% – support marijuana legalization. Generation Xers came in second at 63% and baby boomers were next with only 54%. For those who were born between 1928 and 1945, the percentage was even less, at only 39%.
In general, 51% of all Republicans oppose legalization, according to the poll. White evangelical Protestants oppose making marijuana legal by a close margin, 52%-48%. 48% of all Hispanics who responded to the poll showed their support of legalization, while 50% would prefer to keep marijuana illegal.
An overwhelming majority of all demographic backgrounds are supportive. The executive director for the Marijuana Policy Project, Steve Jawkins, explains, “A growing majority of Americans are ready to end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition and move on. They see states regulating marijuana for medical and adult use, and they recognize it is a much more effective approach. Laws that treat cannabis consumers like criminals and disproportionately impact communities of color are steadily losing popularity across the U.S.”
Next month, four states are preparing ballot measures to legalize marijuana in some form. Voters in Missouri and Utah will determine if medical marijuana is acceptable, while residents of North Dakota and Michigan will have to determine if recreational marijuana should be allowed.
