| addictionrecoveryhope.com |
| America has a Marijuana Majority, according to a new poll. |
More than half of adults in the United States are ready to legalize marijuana, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. According to the new poll, 53 per cent of respondents support legalization, while 43 per cent are opposed.
Support for legalization is highest among Democrats at 61 percent. Independents favor legalizing pot with 55 percent, but only 43 percent of Republicans want to legalize.
Less than 10 per cent of respondents support the legalization of other drugs, such as ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
The use of marijuana is illegal in the U.S. except in some regulated cases of medical use in 13 states. The amount allowed for such purposes varies depending on the state. Some states have passed laws to reduce penalties for possession of small, “personal use” amounts of marijuana (“decriminalization”).
| Photo: Carolmooredc |
| NORML protesters at Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., in 2000. |
In May, Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), ruled out a push to legalize marijuana, adding, “I’ve never advocated legalization and certainly the president has made it clear that’s his position.”
Drug Czar Kerlikowske’s statements on marijuana, however, can be considered less than impartial, since he is forbidden by statute to even discuss drug legalization, as reported by Joel Connelly at the Seattle P.I.
Americans are disappointed with the “War on Drugs,” the new poll found. Two thirds of respondents — 68 percent — believe the War on Drugs has been a failure. Just eight percent of Americans believe the policy, declared in 1970 by the Nixon Administration in response to what it saw as the onslaught of hippie culture, has been a success.
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose the legalization of each of the following drugs?
|
Support |
Oppose |
Not sure |
|
|
Marijuana |
53% |
43% |
4% |
|
Ecstasy |
8% |
88% |
4% |
|
Powder cocaine |
8% |
89% |
3% |
|
Heroin |
6% |
91% |
3% |
|
Methamphetamine or “crystal meth” |
6% |
91% |
3% |
|
Crack cocaine |
5% |
92% |
3% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,004 American voters, conducted on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.