Posted on 11/14/2019 12:17:51 PM PST by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
Two-thirds of Americans say the use of marijuana should be legal, reflecting a steady increase over the past decade, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. The share of U.S. adults who oppose legalization has fallen from 52% in 2010 to 32% today.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (91%) say marijuana should be legal either for medical and recreational use (59%) or that it should be legal just for medical use (32%). Fewer than one-in-ten (8%) prefer to keep marijuana illegal in all circumstances, according to the survey, conducted Sept. 3 to 15 on Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel.
As in the past, there are wide partisan and generational differences in views of marijuana legalization. Nearly eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (78%) say marijuana use should be legal. Republicans and Republican leaners are less supportive, with 55% in favor of legalization and 44% opposed.
Majorities of Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1997), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) say the use of marijuana should be legal. Members of the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) continue to be the least supportive of legalization: Only 35% favor legalizing marijuana, while 64% are opposed.
The generational divide in views of marijuana legalization exists within both party coalitions. Large majorities of Boomer (81%), Gen X (76%) and Millennial Democrats (78%) say the use of marijuana should be made legal, compared with 53% of Silent Generation Democrats who say this.
Millennial Republicans also broadly favor legalizing marijuana use; in fact, Republicans in this generation are almost as supportive of legalization as Millennial Democrats (71% vs. 78%). Gen X and Boomer Republicans are more closely divided, with 55% of Gen X Republicans and 49% of Boomer Republicans favoring legalization. GOP members of the Silent Generation are the least likely to favor marijuana legalization: Just 21% say marijuana use should be legal, while three-quarters (76%) say it should not. Around nine-in-ten Americans favor legalization for recreational or medical purposes
In addition to asking respondents about whether marijuana use should be legal in general, the Center asked a separate group of respondents about legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use. Nearly six-in-ten Americans (59%) favor legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, while another 32% say it should be legal for medical use only. Only 8% say it should not be legal.
About two-thirds of Democrats (68%) say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use, compared with 49% of Republicans. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it should be legal just for medical purposes (38% vs. 28%) or that it should not be legal at all (12% vs. 4%).Republicans in Silent Generation least likely to favor legalizing marijuana use
Younger adults are somewhat more likely than older adults to say that marijuana use should be legal for both medical and recreational use. About two-thirds (69%) of those ages 18 to 29 say it should be legal for both types of use, compared with 48% of those ages 65 and older. Most adults 65 and over nonetheless favor legalization in some form.
The growth in public support for legal marijuana has come as a growing number of jurisdictions have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational purposes.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug for recreational purposes.
Meanwhile, 33 states – plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands – have legalized the drug for medical purposes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Marijuana remains illegal under U.S. federal law. However, several Democratic candidates for president have proposals to legalize or decriminalize marijuana use.
The broad road that leads to destruction.
That’s alcohol :-)
It has been legal in our state, Washington for several years and it has become an absolute nightmare. The biggest problem is people driving while they are smoking pot. People smoking pot while they are driving are completely oblivious to their surroundings and other traffic, along with stinking up your car when you are behind them.
If pot leads to destruction, then alcohol and big pharmaceutical already nuked us into oblivion.
1969 woman to her husband on the way home from church:
“What do you think is going to happen to all the hippies you see everywhere? Do you think they’ll straighten out as they get older? What a bad influence they would be on America if not.”
legalzie pot but outlaw tobacco and vaping.
Truly we have a collection of remarkably stupid people
My issue is when people do it in public places and there’s no cop around. We have to take matters into our own hands and the left gets into our way. Trump should call for a national stand your ground law. Cops are overburdened.
I’ve not touched the stuff since 1977 and think it is stupid and destructive. I also think alcohol is far worse. I’m for legalization and have been for about a decade now.
As with prohibition, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
BTW, I live in the heart of what used to be called Cornbread Mafia territory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornbread_Mafia
The song “Copperhead Raod” could be this county’s biography.
On a side note, some of the people in my sunday school class has been Tobacco growers for decades. They just switched to Hemp this year. The dad has had to miss sunday school a few times because people try to steal their plants.
Alcohol is not a gateway drug, Pot is.
Uh huh...It that were the case you’d have tens of millions slamming heroin...
Michigan just legalized it. I am totally against that but who listens to me?
I am certain some will be so loaded on weed as they drive they will approach our cars headon and feel like they can make the car fly over us. We are in deep trouble.
Gallup measure 60% two years ago.
I suspect the majority will never go above 90%.
But you can take this to the bank: The federal prohibition, and listing as schedule 1, will end within the next 5 years.
And those who are opposed to legalization will have to either deal with it, or convince a similarly overwhelming majority to overturn it.
And this is not your parent’s marijuana. Today’s is about 8X more potent than the stuff decades ago.
Geez, how many potheads are on this site?
No one will give a crap when the Marxists take over. Just take another toke on that doobie.
How is it that WA has one of the lowest rates of traffic deaths among the states?
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state
I don’t. All of my dope-smoking friends from high school ended up in bad places.
But it’s abundantly clear to me that this is GOING to happen.
I do support medical use. Has to be less damaging than opiates for people with chronic pain, chemo patients, etc.
It’s not legal in Washington according to the federal govt. don’t do a NICS check and expect to get a firearm if they know your buying cannabis. Or keep your pilot’s license.
The problem with that statement is that alcohol has been around since rotten fruit. Legalization of mind altering drugs other than alcohol represents an acceleration, not just a continuation of something. Should such a thing be encouraged or discouraged?
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