Americans' support for legal marijuana is at one of its highest points, with 58 percent now believing the drug's use should be legal in the United States, a
new Gallup poll reveals.
Support for legalization has continued to grow sharply since 1969, when Gallup first asked the question and found 12 percent supported legalization. In the current poll, the numbers favoring legalization generally depended on age:
- 18-34 years old: 71 percent;
- 35-49 years old, 64 percent;
- 50-64 years old, 58 percent;
- 65 years old and older, 35 percent
Those numbers are a drastic change from the first year's poll in 1969, when the numbers were:
- 18-34 years old: 20 percent;
- 35-49 years old, 11 percent;
- 50-64 years old, 6 percent;
- 65 years old and older, 4 percent
But support has steadily grown over time, and by the late 1970s, support grew to about 25 percent, holding there through the mid 1990s. By 2000, support grew to 30 percent and stayed at above the majority level, 56 percent, since 2013, reports Gallup.
States are also changing their views on marijuana. Four states and Washington D.C. now allow recreational use, and Ohio voters are considering a ballot initiative in November to legalize marijuana.
Gallup also reported that newer generations of adults are more likely to favor use of the drug, replacing older generations who were not inclined to favor legalization, with Americans born from 1951 to 1965 and 1966 to 1980 more likely to favor measures than they were 15 years ago.
The nation's oldest Americans, though, continue to show less change about their attitudes on changing marijuana laws.
The poll was conducted of a random sample of 1,015 adults, and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4 pounds, with a 95 percent confidence level.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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