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.
I don’t know that there are “potheads” here, but there are many who are “libertarian” on the issue of personal use of marijuana, or anything else for that matter.
Whenever there are marijuana threads on this site, those who oppose legalization and/or use of marijuana, even for medical reasons, tend to be outnumbered by the libertarian and 10th amendment folks. And there is a strong contingent here, who say marijuana should be treated just as alcohol is.
Two-thirds of Americans aren’t Americans. There. Fixed it.
Probably less than 2/3rds. Conservatives are not as likely to be pro pot as libs, but there is a contingent.
I thought the poll was worth a look.
Sounds like the national IQ just took another dive.
Could explain where all the Democrats are coming from.
We have a bunch of relatives in Michigan. Michigan has been as permissive as Washington for decades; I am surprised it wasn't legalized their first. Prepare for things to get a whole lot worse than they have been. Legalization is a license to smoke it absolutely everywhere all the time. Even if that is not what the law says... the police completely ignore it now. If you are standing in line somewhere be prepared for the people all around you to be smoking pot. If you go to the park, be prepared for the skunk like smell of marijuana to completely overpower all other odors of the outdoors. And do not get me started on the “homeless”.
No offense intended and I have liked your posts a lot of times but your screen name show Dragnet had about 5 or 6 episodes blasting marijuana use.
Jack Webb was always shaking his head looking at the neglected children and the sloppy housekeeping of potheads. And helping a school principal or movie theater owner at wits’ end about youth on dope.
My screen name is one letter different from the Lee Marvin MSquad character Frank Bellanger.
I have full series dvds of both shows.
As I said, no offense intended.
I’d not think two-third of non nonsense American citizens (that don’t no illegal and legal aliens, overstaying, or tourists) would even agree legalizing marijuana. Where did they do mostly the polling? San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle?
Trump on medical mj and letting states decide =>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOpgIDMV07o
So is Trump leading the country to destruction?
Two reasons... #1 poor information gathering, and statistical anomalies... if you looked at the number of accidents per miles traveled it would be one of the very worst places. #2 90% of the people in Washington live in Western Washington where the weather is just crappy enough to keep most of the people to depressed to bother going for a car ride.
That is the funniest damn thing I've read in the past hour. Hey Frank, when there are head-on collisions on every street and highway in the U.S on a daily bases, ping me.☺
“Alcohol is not a gateway drug...”
LMAO. I’ve never met a single drug addict who was a teetotaler.
I’ll admit medical mj is not a singular issue. There are many uses for it.
“feel like they can make the car fly over us”
Umm, we’re talking about marijuana here, not PCP.
Hey Frank, the moniker is based on the definition of the word, not some Hollywood show you might be watching.
Thanks for the headsup.
Or should I say for the Potheads up.
With 50 years of the annual Hash Bash and the huge arena concert to free John Sinclair starring John Lennon and Yoko Ono with Jerry Rubin (1971) I should have noticed an acrid funny smell.
Actually I knew this was coming.
“Geez, how many potheads are on this site?”
Somewhat fewer than the number of drunks, I expect.
That is probably true of Medical mj...
One of my sisters was a serious alcoholic. She passed away in 2014 after falling off of a railroad overpass. I wish that she had been using marijuana instead. I miss her every day.
The worst is living in an apt or condo.
You can’t get away from it or leave the windows open.
Oh and there are the 2am people knocking on your door who think you are a dealer.
Another victory for the Hollywood dumbing down of Americans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.