San Francisco, CA: A decade-long increase in public support to legalize marijuana would appear affirmed according to a newly released poll by AngusReid Public Opinion.
In a national survey of 1,004 American adults, 53 percent support legalizing marijuana. This survey comports with a recent Zogby poll indicating over 50 percent support, as well as a Field Poll in California earlier this year that indicated 56 percent support for marijuana legalization in California.
The AngusReid poll also found that 68 percent of the American public believe the ‘War on Drugs’ to be a failure, 8 percent believe it a success; with less than 10 percent support, Americans do not support legalizing so-called ‘hard’ drugs such as ecstacy, cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine.
Two other notable and consistent demographic trends are highlighted:
- Democrats and Independent voters support reform, 61 percent and 55 percent respectively, whereas only 43 percent of Republican voters support legalization
- The South and Midwest are not as supportive for marijuana legalization as the West and Northeast
“Whether it is these tough economic times, the ascension of more marijuana-friendly baby-boomers into positions of power and authority or the commonsense recognition that 73-years of marijuana prohibition needs to be replaced with a functional tax and control model, it would appear that an ever-growing majority of Americans want major marijuana law reforms—including legalization”, said NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre.
To view the AngusReid Public Opinion Survey data and cross-tabulations, see: http://www.visioncritical.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/2009.12.09_Drugs_US.pdf
To view a NORML composite graph of the numerous marijuana legalization surveys and the upward trend since 1995, see:
http://stash.norml.org/wp-content/uploads/pollDec09.png