A CBS News poll [10] conducted over the weekend has found that 41% of Americans support marijuana legalization, while 52% oppose, and 7% are undecided. The figure matches that of a January CBS News poll. Support dropped to 31% in an April CBS News poll before rebounding this month.
The figure is in line with other recent public opinion polls on the topic. A February Rasmussen Reports poll [11] had support for legalization at 40%, a February Zogby poll [12] had support for legalization at 44%, and an April ABC News/Washington Post poll [13] found 46% supported "legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use." The high-end outlier is an April Zogby poll [14] with 52% saying marijuana should be "legal, taxed, and regulated."
In the latest CBS News poll, there was bare majority support for legalization among people under 35 (52%) and liberals (55%), the only regional, demographic, or political groups where majorities supported legalization. Support was higher among men (44%) than women (39%) and higher in the West (46%), Northeast (44%), and the Midwest (43%) than in the South (35%).
The latest CBS News poll was conducted among a random sample of 944 adults nationwide via telephone interviews. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus three percentage points.
The polling comes as attention is focused on marijuana legalization like never before. But it suggests that despite decades of effort, the marijuana reform movement is not quite to the Promised Land yet.