Half of Americans Support Legal Marijuana for First Time
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A plurality of Americans for the first time supports the legalization of marijuana, according to a new Gallup survey.
In the new poll, 50% said the use of marijuana should be made legal, while 46% oppose the idea.
Last year, support for legalization was at 46%.
Favorability towards legalizing the drug has been growing since the 1970s, particularly during the last two decades. In 1969, only 12% favored it, while 84% were opposed. From the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, support remained in the mid-20s. Then, in 2000, it passed 30%, and by 2009, it had jumped to 40%.
According to Gallup, support for legalization varies greatly according to age group. Although only 31% of those aged 65 or older are in favor of legalizing marijuana use, support rises to 56% for ages 30-49 and 62% for ages 18-29. Men are more likely to favor legalization than women (55% to 46%). Regionally, only in the South does support drop below 50%.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use (by Frank Newport, Gallup)
Gallup Poll is First to Find Plurality Support for Marijuana Legalization (by Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight)
Obama Escalates Attack on Legal Marijuana (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
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