Poll: Majority of Americans Want It Legalized
May 14th, 2009 by Erin
With the economy in shambles and the government looking any which way to help revive and stimulate it, it’s no wonder that a majority of Americans say it “makes sense to tax and regulate” cannabis. In the Zogby poll released last Wednesday, 3,937 voters were polled and the right-wing O’Leary Report revealed that 52 percent were in favor of marijuana legalization while only 37 percent opposed.
Compare this to a less recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, which found 46 percent in support and a California Field Poll that found 56 percent in support; backed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calling for an open debate on legalization.
Voters were asked:
Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government’s effort to legalize marijuana?
Favor.
Public Support for Legalization at All-Time High
May 5th, 2009 by Russ
A notoriously obtuse American public may finally be catching up to the reality that marijuana prohibition causes more harm than good. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, more Americans now support pot legalization than ever before. 46 percent of Americans now support legalizing ’small amounts of marijuana for personal use.’
This represents a ten percent jump in the last four years, which is a relatively huge shift in popular support for such a short time. Even during the weed-friendly Carter administration, support for legalization never rose higher than 28% (in 1977).
While tFS is confident that its own efforts are largely responsible for the newest poll results, other political factors may also account for this green-moving trend. Some of these factors include the weed-friendly stances of many mainstream celebrities and athletes (including the Michael Phelps bong fiasco), the worsening drug-related violence in Mexico, and the recognition of weed as a potential US cash crop in the midst of a debilitating recession.
Bruce Mirkin of the Marijuana Policy Project noted:
There is clearly more interest and serious discussion of whether marijuana prohibition makes any sense than I’ve seen at any point in my adult lifetime… Marijuana prohibition has become like the Soviet Empire circa 1987 or 1988… It’s an empty shell of a policy that continues only because it is perceived as being huge and formidable, but when the perception changes, the whole thing is going to collapse.
Well, the perception is certainly changing. And, as it happens, altered perceptions are the weed culture’s specialty.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, Let’s Legalize
February 25th, 2009 by Perry
National polls indicate America is warming up to the idea of legal pot.
Polling website Fivethirtyeight points out two key caveats. One, the numbers are rising in favor of legalization and declining in opposition, but that doesn’t mean the numbers will continue the trend in those directions. Two, while the numbers are again rising, legalization is still by and large a minority viewpoint nationally.
The poll points out an interesting piece of information which might help MMJ advocates: AARP, traditionally a strong and politically respected voting bloc, may see medical marijuana become a big issue among its membership in the coming years.
A survey conducted 10 years ago showed only about 10 percent of that age group used marijuana. However as aging hippies move on to greener, retirement home pastures, that figure is expected to be up around 60 percent within a few years.
