High Times – Public Support For Cannabis Legalization Creeps Higher

“68% of Americans say that they’re in favor of legalizing cannabis.

Fully two-thirds of Americans now support the legalization of marijuana, according to data from a Gallup poll released on Monday. That figure is the highest level of support since Gallup first began polling about legalizing cannabis more than 50 years ago, although it is not a statistically significant increase from the 66% in favor of legalization recorded last year.

‘Since 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, there has been a slow trickle of states that have followed suit,’ Gallup wrote in a release announcing the results of the poll. ‘Over that period, Americans’ support for marijuana legalization has risen 20 points to a record-high 68%. This measure has enjoyed majority support from the public since 2013. Additionally, Gallup data from earlier this year find that 70% of U.S. adults now consider smoking marijuana to be morally acceptable, marking a five-percentage-point uptick in one year.’

The poll showed support from both women and men across a wide swath of demographic groups. A majority of respondents from all age groups, education levels, and household incomes favored legalization. The results also show strong if not majority support from all political ideologies and party affiliations, with a total of 83% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 48% of Republicans saying they favored the legalization of marijuana. …”

Read the full article by A.J. Herrington at High Times.