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On a Zogby poll (why America will not legalize marijuana)

I’ll begin with a June 24 Drug Policy Center press release that reports substantial support for legalizing marijuana: A poll by Zogby International released today found that 41% of Americans agree that “the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: it should regulate it, control it, tax it and only make it illegal for children.” This represents a striking increase from previous nationwide polls on making marijuana legal. . . . The poll released today interviewed 1,204 adults chosen at random nationwide. They were asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: “Some people say the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: it should regulate marijuana, control it, tax it, and only make it illegal for children.” The margin of error is +/- 2.9%. This is a poll based on a random sample, which is good (self-selected surveys, such as most Internet surveys, are bunk, because people who volunteer to answer such surveys are usually wildly unrepresentative of the population at large). And the question also seems pretty fairly worded. If you look closely, you see a possible glitch with the question: Literally, people were asked whether they agree that “Some people say . . . .” (I e-mailed the Drug Policy Center for the exact text of the question, and it confirmed this.) Some respondents might have said “Well, yes, some people do say that; I’ve heard them say it; so I’ll respond ‘I agree that some people say . . .,’ though I strongly oppose the pro-legalization sentiment itself.” So the text of the question is one possible source of error — but I suspect that most respondents (unlike law professors who, like me, used to be computer programmers) wouldn’t be that literal. And while the 41% is higher than I had expected, it’s not that far from the results that some other polls have shown (see, for instance, here, revealing a 34%-58% split on a more generally worded question in Fall 2002). Now I’m pleased by this 41% result, because I tentatively support legalization of marijuana. I say “tentatively” because I’m not an expert on the subject, and haven’t studied the important practical policy questions surrounding this issue. Still, my sense is that marijuana really isn’t any more harmful than alcohol, and the harms of outlawing it are greater than the harms of tolerating it. The experience of alcohol Prohibition suggests (though by no means proves) that marijuana prohibition is likely a mistake. And yet, if this is so, then why are there so few politicians who publicly support marijuana legalization in their campaigns? True, 57% of the public opposes marijuana legalization — but maybe that’s precisely because politicians haven’t really made the pro-legalization case yet, which provides an opportunity for savvy challengers. So you’d think that in at least some liberal areas, where the support is higher than 41%, pro-legalization candidates would try to make something of this issue. There are, however, two likely reasons why the picture is less bright for the legalization forces than one might think. First, I asked the Drug Policy Center for a breakdown of the results not just by agree vs. disagree, but also by the strength of agreement. (Many surveys, including this one, give people several options, and not just two.) Here’s what that breakdown ends up being:

Strongly agree with legalization — 23.5%.
Somewhat agree with legalization — 17.4%.
Somewhat disagree with legalization — 11.4%.
Strongly disagree with legalization — 45.3%.

Now that isn’t good news for the legalizers: Nearly half the public strongly opposes legalization, and less than a quarter strongly supports it.

So what do you think of this article? Agree with it?

Properly restated:

Strongly disagree with freedom of choice — 45.3%.

About a third of Americans supported George Washington and fought against the British. About a third of Americans supported King George III of England and fought for the British, and about a third of Americans sat on the fence and occasionally joined whichever side was winning at the moment.

Now this surely wasn't good news for the pro-freedom movement back in the 1770s. 1/3 of Americans were pro-American/freedom, 1/3 were pro-British/continued oppression, 1/3 were fair-weather fans. Which side would you have been on?

Another reference paints a less bleak picture:

That wasn’t the case, as only 20% of the entire population of America supported the American Revolution.

Take the same poll 10 years ago. The strongly disagree would be much higher (no pun intended). Would we have seen medical marijuana bills 10-20 years ago? Nope. The tide is turning. My feeling from asking other Gen-Xers (like myself who don't smoke pot), is that it will eventually be legalized.

I'm think that if someone want's to ruin their mind...let them. More work for the rest of us who don't. We'll always need unmotivated people to flip burgers and build freeways. People who want to smoke pot will do it whether legal or illegal. Let's stop beating our heads against the wall.

There's no doubt marijuana is bad for you (especially, consistent long-term use), but so is alcohol.