Gallup: Support for legal marijuana at an all-time high and likely to grow

Gallup: Support for legal marijuana at an all-time high and likely to grow

Nearly two years after the nation's first recreational marijuana shop opened in Colorado, American support for legal weed has tied an all-time high and is likely to increase, according to new numbers released today by Gallup. Fifty eight percent of Americans say that the use of marijuana should be legal, a seven-point year-over-year increase.

The poll finds steady increases in support of legalization across all age cohorts. For instance, in 1969 only 20 percent of those born between 1935 and 1950 supported making marijuana legal. Today, 40 percent of that age group -- who are now age 65+ -- support legal weed.

Support just keeps growing. I still can't understand why our politicians are so slow to embrace this... Clearly Americans support it. They can't find anything wrong with it. Now granted, people like Bernie Sanders or Rand Paul want to legalize it, but that's not enough. That doesn't reflect what 58% of Americans think.

"Americans' support for legalizing marijuana is the highest Gallup has measured to date, at 58%," the survey concludes. "Given the patterns of support by age, that percentage should continue to grow in the future."

The federal government NEEDS to get on board with this soon. Anti-legalization efforts can't hold ground and have even contributed to increasing this percentage themselves.

Anti-legalization groups, including government agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration, have tried to convince the public that legalization has been a mistake and a failure. They have argued that looser laws will lead to more marijuana use among children and teens, and a rise in marijuana-related crime and car accidents. Some caution that individual poll numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.

Now I know many are still in support of just letting the States legalize it, but the problem is that this is creating a HUGE problem between federal and state laws that is really holding these marijuana markets back. Then you have asshole states like Oklahoma trying to sue Colorado because of this legal discrepancy. Enough is enough. It's time our federal politicians smelt the coffee. Marijuana needs to be legalized.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
Support just keeps growing. I still can't understand why our politicians are so slow to embrace this...

Many reasons. I think at least a major one for many people is simply that change can be painful.

Just got to tear off that band-aid and embrace the glorious sting of progression Glad to see more and more are realizing how rational it is to legalize it

a reply to: Krazysh0t

A plethora of allusions today Krazy, I am in agreement!

Because we still have too many close minded old poops in government. It will not matter how many times they are shown proof of something, the blinders stay on.

Probably due to the fact that if they take them off, those multi-million dollar "donations" from big pharma and other textile industries will go bye-bye.

a reply to: Ghost147

But it's going to get to the point that being against legalizing is going to hurt you in the polls.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

It's already is like that. Just look at the Canadian Election. The one who supported it the most and was an actual known 'user' won by a landslide.

Police unions, the criminal justice system in general (lawyers, judges, etc.), rehab facilities who rely upon the criminal justice system to deliver unto them people addicted to the devil weed...

That's why it can't be legalized nationwide.

Though it should be.

a reply to: Ghost147

Lol true. They tried to stereotype him as a stoner and pothead, and thus he won.

a reply to: the owlbear

Police Leaders Join Call to Cut Prison Rosters

More than 130 police chiefs, prosecutors and sheriffs — including some of the most prominent law enforcement officials in the country — are adding their clout to the movement to reduce the nation’s incarceration rate.

Asserting that “too many people are behind bars that don’t belong there,” the officials plan to announce on Wednesday that they have formed a group to push for alternatives to arrests, reducing the number of criminal laws and ending mandatory minimum prison sentences. Members of the group are scheduled to meet Thursday with President Obama.

The group includes the police chiefs of the nation’s largest cities, including William J. Bratton of New York, Charlie Beck of Los Angeles and Garry F. McCarthy of Chicago, as well as prosecutors from around the country, including Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney.

Even those pillars of anti-legalization are changing.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Canada has one of the highest rates of adult cannabis use in the world, so it's unsurprising that Harper's contention that it's 'infinitely more harmful' than tobacco hurt him. I personally know a lot of young people who would not have voted were it not for the CPC's regressive stance on cannabis.

That said, I'm still somewhat dubious that anything will change. Time will tell.

a reply to: Monger

If Canada legalizes it, then MAYBE we can finally get the US on board from pressure from the north.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Ghost147

But it's going to get to the point that being against legalizing is going to hurt you in the polls.

And yet the Conservative Right still adheres to the "Reefer Madness" stereotype.

a reply to: olaru12

And what's so mind blowing is that even Republican voters are coming on board as well. This isn't a partisan issue. ALL sides of the political debate want this legalized. Naturally, Republican demographics in support of legalization lag behind independents and Democrats who support it, but there is still a VERY favorable opinion of it among Republican voters.

Im old and waited most of my life for this.
I remember in the 70s people getting harsh to life for seeds.

This was one welcome "change" that this president did bring.

Dont relax, keep up the fight. We are fighting the law enforcement industry,
the pharmaceutical ind. The prison industry, the Lets govern everyone Else's lives industry.

Keep it up Krazysh0t, this is the good fight.

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Ghost147

But it's going to get to the point that being against legalizing is going to hurt you in the polls.

And yet the Conservative Right still adheres to the "Reefer Madness" stereotype.

Which is funny seeing how they are the job creators party. Legalizing pot would create millions of jobs virtually overnight. It would be an economic boom for this nation.

a reply to: buster2010

Funny enough the arguments they use against legalizing pot is things like "Well marijuana will become Big Marijuana, just like Big Tobacco." So apparently creating jobs in the marijuana market is an evil thing.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I just moved from Chicago to Seattle 2 weeks ago.... Best decision I've made in a lonnnnng time...

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I couldn't agree with you more!

This is also one of the reasons why it's hard for me to believe the MSM when it comes to who won the Democratic debates.

I didn't like a lot crap Hillary said, but when she said no to legalization, it was like the end of the road for me.

Who knows? With her track record of changing positions when it's politically expedient to do so, we may soon be up to 3 supporters by adding Hillary to the list. If not, It's gonna cost her.

Not sure what it's gonna take to get our congressional leaders to wake up in mass.

Gallup: Support for legal marijuana at an all-time high and likely to grow.

In related news, AugustusMasonicus takes large position in Taco Bell and various snack food companies.

a reply to: Flatfish

Hillary will get on board with legalization as soon as her advisors tell her that it would be politically helpful to her career to do so.