by Gary Miller
A new poll released by market research firm YouGov showed that 57% of Americans support full cannabis legalization, while only 27% objected to legalization and 16% were unsure. The poll, conducted on Nov. 29, was answered by over 40,000 Americans of various ages, political affiliations, and income levels.
One of the main takeaways of the poll was that cannabis legalization is still, in large part, a political issue. Although feelings on cannabis (leaning toward legalization) were mostly consistent across ages, genders, and income levels, results revealed a significant divide between political parties on the subject. For Democrats, cannabis legalization was collectively backed with 70% of them voicing support. On the other side of the aisle, only 40% of Republicans said that they would support legalization.
Despite the fact that more Republicans who answered the YouGov poll called for not legalizing cannabis, Republican and bipartisan support for legalization has grown in recent years, suggesting that this age-old divide on drug policy may be on the decline. A bipartisan bill that would legalize recreational cannabis emerged in Pennsylvania in October, and a Republican Congresswoman introduced a federal decriminalization bill in November.
YouGov’s poll is not the only one showing a shift in public opinion on cannabis. A poll released by the Pew Research Center in April showed that 60% of Americans were in favor of legalized medical and recreational use. Gallup’s 2021 Consumption Habits poll found that 49% of Americans had tried cannabis, compared to only 4% in 1970.
With more and more Americans changing their stance on cannabis yearly, more reform policies are likely around the corner. What do you think of YouGov’s poll? Do you see cannabis legalization in America’s near future? Let us know in the comments!
I vote yes to legalization of cannabis due to the fact that most if not all need an emotional support dealing with the pandemic. Most Americans suffer from poor leadership, the people has spoken, therefore let it be so. Thank you
It truly helps with depression and anxiety. And could also help break the grip of other drugs.
I’m happy to see that society is beginning to alter their views on the efficacy of marijuana. Sadly, the legalization and overall acceptance of marijuana only becomes a reality when revenue for the government becomes palpable.
It really helps with anxiety,depression and parkinson.it has help me alot and family members too.
Conservative female here and fully support legalization of cannabis. I do think it should be voted on at the state level. I’d prefer the federal government stay out of it, but if I’m correct, they would have to make it legal first. I probably need to do more research on that. There are a lot of pros to the legalization. Economically it makes sense and creates opportunities for small businesses to grow. Medically it makes sense for many people as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. As for recreation, If alcohol is legal, cannabis should be too. At least cannabis has a multi-benefit and use.
Legalization is not at all the proper move. National decriminalization with a proper medical program would be the move. “Legal” bs immediately turns it over to improperly regulated trash systems based on money and all the things that are wrong with the system
Legalize….criminalize real drugs
How much
Make weed legal it helps with alot of things it would make the world better
Marijuana should legal and taxed accordingly ASAP. Over 57% of the state agrees. Unfortunately, because I live in conservative Ohio, while you can count on eventual legalization, just like casino gambling, it will not happen until we are totally surrounded by states with the smarts to act sooner. Consequently, we will miss out on early windfall tax profits. Way to go O-H-I-O!
What is happening now, is that the baby boomers, who started using grass in their younger years. Want to be able too obtain weed whenever they want to. Plus, it helps our aches, pain, relax and enjoy life better.
I vote, legalize marijuana, nation wide.
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