New York, NY: More than six in ten Americans believe that the social use of marijuana should be legal for adults, according to nationwide polling data provided by CBS News.
The percentage marks a significant increase since 2013 when CBS reported that only 45 percent of respondents endorsed legalization, and it is among the highest levels of public support ever reported in a national poll. Only a majority of those respondents over the age of 65 did not support legalization.
Pollsters also reported that 88 percent of US adults support regulating the use of medical marijuana, and that 71 percent of Americans – including majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – oppose efforts by the federal government to interfere in states that have legalized the plant’s distribution and use. The percentage represents a blowback to the Trump administration, which in February threatened “greater enforcement” of federal anti-marijuana laws in states that have legalized its adult use.
Fifty-three percent of respondents said that they believe alcohol to be more harmful than cannabis, and a majority of those under the age of 65 acknowledged having used it.
The CBS News poll possesses a margin of error of +/- four percent.
Separate polling released last week by Quinnipiac University reported similar levels of public support. Pollsters reported that 60 percent of US voters believe that “the use of marijuana should be made legal,” the highest percentage of support ever recorded in a Quinnipiac poll. Ninety-four percent of respondents endorsed legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, and 73 percent oppose federal interference in states that have legalized it.
The Quinnipiac poll possesses a margin of error of +/- three percent.
For more information, please contact Justin Strekal, NORML Political Director, at (202) 483-5500.