Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
Strong majorities of Americans believe people should be able to use, grow, and sell marijuana in states where it is legal, according to a new Reason Foundation-Rupe poll. Nearly three out of four (72%) said pot smokers should not be arrested in those states, more than two-thirds (68%) said the federal government should not arrest growers in those states, and nearly two-thirds (64%) said it should not arrest sellers.
The poll consisted of a representative sample of 1,000 American adults interviewed by telephone, half by landline and half by cell phone. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.8%.It was conducted between January 17 and 21.
Although it is Republicans who typically make states' rights or federalist arguments, Republicans had the highest level of support for federal interference in states that have legalized marijuana. In all three cases -- using, growing, or selling marijuana -- independents and Democrats were more likely to say the federal government should not interfere.
The poll also asked two questions about marijuana legalization, one about whether it should be treated like alcohol and one about whether it should be legalized for recreational use. While the two questions are essentially identical, they generated slightly different responses, showing yet again that marijuana legalization is on the cusp of majority acceptance (and that the phrasing of polling questions matters).
Some 53% agreed that marijuana should be treated like alcohol, but only 47% agreed that recreational use should be legalized. Majorities of Democrats (57%) and independents (58%), but not Republicans (35%), agreed with "like alcohol," while only a majority of independents (59%) supported legalization for recreational use, with support at only 46% for Democrats and 25% among Republicans.
Gender and age differences also remained. Support for legalization was higher among men (52%) than women (42%), and there was majority support for legalization among all age groups except people over 65, two-thirds of whom opposed it.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
Inspirational Use Poll needed
Wondering why both Republicans and Democrats mostly oppose recreational legalization while Independents support it? Well, both duopoly Parties get subsidies from Big 2WackGo (though Reps get twice as much as Dems).
The poll is defective because, besides medicinal and recreational, it failed to list (choose your label) creational, occupational, INSPIRATIONAL USE. Not just by artists and musicians, I mean those toke-literate thinkers/tinkerers who are threatening to invent, produce, promulgate, market some presently blockaded product which can replace YOUR CORPORATION'S BRAND! Uh oh.
#1 example: those Hot Burning Overdose Monoxide $igarettes-- see Robert N. Proctor's 750-page history, "Golden Holocaust" (2012)-- a $400-bil./yr. bizness that has killed like 200 million human beings in the last century. Cannabis prohibition until now has kept off the market that CHEAP UNIVERSAL HANDMADE/HANDHELD VAPORIZER, designed by and for cannabis users, which can spread over into the tobacco market and totally eliminate Coffin Joe and his Nails-- will it soon be time to BAIL OUT PHILIP MORRIS?
64 is the lowest number
In December, Gallup found 64% of Americans don’t think the feds “should take to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in those states.” There’s either a difference in language or there’s an 8 point bump since in the election. Notably, 64% is the lowest number—support found by Gallup for marijuana non-intervention in general is equal to support found by Reason for sellers, which is notably less support than for personal possession. These strong polls must surely be one factor keeping the federal government at bay in its silent deliberations; if the polls were around or below 50% then the feds would have room to swiftly strike down, but 72% opposition should be enough to give anyone a long pause.
Represenatives: protect your constitutents
Representatives of Colorado and Washington states.. it is your job to protect your constituents and make sure they can't face federal criminal charges for carrying out their elected duties in their states.. time to rally up Congress.
Congress remains the one force in America that can truly end the Drug War. Until Congress acts, nothing's "over" yet.
Tell the DEA. Obama, can the
Tell the DEA. Obama, can the DEA leader.
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