A new marijuana poll has revealed a sea change in how Americans not only feel about the drug itself, but also how the political landscape has changed to favor far softer pot legislation.
The marijuana poll is much like the sentiment regarding gay marriage — in a few short years, approval for the measure has skyrocketed in stunning numbers, and it seems most American citizens just want to legalize it.
Blame the internet for allowing a more open dialogue, or a web-influenced culture that allows more honesty about the once-demonized issue of pot legalization. Whichever way you slice it, America has spoken… and she wants to roll one up and watch Breaking Bad .
The marijuana poll giving the US such a contact buzz right now comes out of Gallup — the same organization that polls so conservatively it predicted a clear Romney win last November.
Most notably, numbers have jumped in under a year — after history-making laws passed in Colorado and Washington made even the recreational use of pot in some jurisdictions legal under state laws.
Now more than half Americans believe marijuana should be legal per Gallup, with a full 58 percent expressing a preference for legalized weed. That’s an eight point high for all polling data on pot legalization, and it’s a full 10 point increase over the period after the election in 2012.
In less than one year, a further 10 percent of Americans have changed their stance on the marijuana legalization issue — and Art Swift of Gallup says the polling group projects that number will only… get higher :
“With Americans’ support for legalization quadrupling since 1969, and localities on the East Coast such as Portland, Maine, considering a symbolic referendum to legalize marijuana, it is clear that interest in this drug and these issues will remain elevated in the foreseeable future.”
Swift says it’s not just acceptance overall driving the new push for legal weed — the larger scope of medical marijuana has also influenced folks on the issue:
“Success at the ballot box in the past year in Colorado and Washington may have increased Americans’ tolerance for marijuana legalization. The increasing prevalence of medical marijuana as a socially acceptable way to alleviate symptoms of diseases such as arthritis, and as a way to mitigate side effects of chemotherapy, may have also contributed to Americans’ growing support.”
The marijuana poll sampled 1,028 Americans, and data was collected between October 3 and October 6, with a margin of error of plus or minus four percent. Swift says the trends show “no sign of abating.”