New Poll Has Record High for Marijuana Legalization

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #762)
Drug War Issues
Marijuana Industry
Personal Marijuana Use
Politics & Advocacy
Washington Initiative 502
Colorado Amendment 64
Polling

There is a third poll in the past few days suggesting that Americans' attitudes toward marijuana legalization have reached the tipping point, if not toppled over it. A survey conducted over the weekend by Public Policy Polling (PPP) finds a record high 58% of respondents think pot should be legal, while only 39% think it should not.

[image:1 align:left]That finding comes on the heels of a CBS News poll showing the highest support for legalization since it starting asking the question (although still not quite over the top at 47%) and an Angus-Reid poll that had support for legalization at 54%.

It also comes just days before Americans are confronted with the reality of legal marijuana in one of the two states that legalized it last month. On Thursday, the provision of Washington's I-502 initiative allowing the adult possession of up to an ounce of marijuana goes into effect. The possession (and cultivation) provisions of Colorado's Amendment 64 will go into effect days later, by January 5 at the latest.

In the PPP poll, 33% of respondents felt "strongly" that marijuana should be legal, while another 25% agreed, but didn't feel strongly about it. Taking the two together, that's 58% in support of freeing the weed.

Poll respondents also wanted the federal government to allow Colorado and Washington to chart their own paths on marijuana (47%), with only one-third (33%) calling for the federal government to intervene. And a slight plurality (45%) said marijuana was safer than alcohol, while 42% said it was not safer.

There were few surprises in the cross-tabs. Support for legalization was stronger among men (62%) than among women (54%) and stronger among Democrats (68%) and independents (59%) than among Republicans (42%). Somewhat surprisingly, Hispanics reported stronger support for legalization (61%) than blacks (56%) or whites (55%). There was majority support for legalization among voters under 45, but not over. Still, even among the older folks, there was 47% support among 45-to-64-year-olds and 48% for the above-65 set.

News Brief
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

Paul Pot (not verified)

It looks like almost all ballot initiatives that get put up in the next two years would win regardless of not being a presidential election in 2014. 

Tue, 12/04/2012 - 7:38pm Permalink
Uncle Bob (not verified)

Anyone can talk trash about an online poll, but when we have stuff from PPP, Galup, and several major media outlets all saying the same thing, there is absolutely no denying it.  Americans want legal weed.  And we're going to get it. Politicians:  Hop on board, or be left behind.

Tue, 12/04/2012 - 7:57pm Permalink
saynotohypocrisy (not verified)

Obama will have to defy both the people who want weed legal, including most of his base, and those who think states should decide. Between the two groups, that's a very solid majority. And if he doesn't come down hard on CO and WA (or even if he does) there's likely to be a flock of legalization initiatives in 2014. All as a steady rain of alcohol related catastrophes and steady lack of cannabis related catastrophes provides a 'The Emperor Has No Clothes' background to the last stages of the war on cannabis users.

Alcohol supremacist bigotry kills. It's very old and very in the way.

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 2:34am Permalink
Anonymous21312… (not verified)

Wait a minute. I looked at the linked survey and there wasn't anything in it that showed 58% want legalization. In fact, the number appears to be in the high 30% range. Where did the 58% number come from?

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 1:08pm Permalink
Wilson (not verified)

I fully support the legalization of cannabis. Due to being on probation, I don't use marijuana right now, but as soon as the law is offmy back, I plan to resume. I've had my go around with pretty much every drug and I can say with complete confidence that cannabis has not causedme harm. I believe I should have, and do have, the right to make this choice. Alcohol and tobacco were tbe sustances that I used as a child, I was 2 when I first tried both alcohol and tobacco. I was 17 until I tried cannabis. Alcohol and tobacco have caused me and many others much damage. Why does our society demonize cannabis? This is about the right we all have to xhoose. Don't let the government make that choice for you!
Wed, 12/05/2012 - 5:23pm Permalink
Ary (not verified)

Some early congrats from Amsterdam (Holland)..! Seems you are really going to throw this dead-weight, harshly restricting laws off your back this time as American people, and are going to be a Truely Free People for the first time in a longtime (again), and soon are not being terrorized, nor exploited any longer by either criminals seizing the opportunity (simply) because they can do so, often not even because they are that bad at all, either by their legal opponent causing this to take place, (simply) because they always could, could tap in to the common fears, harvest from the common ignorance, and pluck the a-Billion-a-week funds, just because they could (and because they already had for a longtime) and NOT because they're such ethical thinkers, or any good at all for that part. The war on any human feelings or dignity at all, the free ride for anyone uniformed, that shouts the loudest, sells the most rotten lies or beats the hardest (I really can find no difference with the nazi system, not in appearance nor in misbehaviour,essentially) now seems to finally come to a stop soon, and that is a happy feat and not just for Americans:-)
Thu, 12/06/2012 - 1:22pm Permalink
Jeff Brown (not verified)

Marijuana aka cannabis hemp is the most useful plant on the planet. Food,, clothing, shelter, energy, medicine, insight, re-creation. Henry Ford even built a car out of it. Thanks to all who have helped in awakening the people. It seems that the polls can only go up.

Thu, 12/06/2012 - 2:21pm Permalink
Michael Miller (not verified)

Juicing raw Cannabis is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body. Hemp oil should be in every medicine cabinet across the globe. It CURES cancer. DR. Tod Mikuriya made a list of 259 illnesses and diseases that Cannabis can cure, prevent, or effectively treat with NO SIDE EFFECTS. The citizens of the United States of America have spoken. We want to smoke, and for us not to have that right is unjust and ridiculous. I'm so glad the tables are turning. It's about friggin time. FREE THE HERB. IT CAN SAVE THIS WORLD IF YOU JUST LET IT.
Fri, 12/07/2012 - 9:15pm Permalink
Jakewest (not verified)

No no. Wait a second. I double checked the survey and there wasn't anything in it that showed 58% want legalization. I’m not sure where it has gone wrong. But you need to get the statistics right. Please keep sharing. 

 

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 4:20am Permalink

Add new comment

Source URL: https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2012/dec/04/poll_finds_record_marijuana_legalization_support