“Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use”

The title of this post comes from this new release from the folks at Gallup in the wake of its latest polling on a subject of extra interest to those interested in a change in tactics in the war on drugs.  Here are some highlights from this new Gallup report:

When Gallup first asked about legalizing marijuana, in 1969, 12% of Americans favored it, while 84% were opposed. Support remained in the mid-20s in Gallup measures from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, but has crept up since, passing 30% in 2000 and 40% in 2009 before reaching the 50% level in this year’s Oct. 6-9 annual Crime survey.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States.”  The National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2009 found that “16.7 million Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, an increase over the rates reported in all years between 2002 and 2008.”…

A Gallup survey last year found that 70% favored making it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana in order to reduce pain and suffering.  Americans have consistently been more likely to favor the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes than to favor its legalization generally…..

Support for legalizing marijuana is directly and inversely proportional to age, ranging from 62% approval among those 18 to 29 down to 31% among those 65 and older.  Liberals are twice as likely as conservatives to favor legalizing marijuana.  And Democrats and independents are more likely to be in favor than are Republicans.  More men than women support legalizing the drug.  Those in the West and Midwest are more likely to favor it than those in the South.

I have added the emphasis to the portion of the report noting that levels of public support for ending pot prohibition is linked to age.  This data seem uniquely important for the long-term political prospects of legalizing marijuana, in part because older people are generally more likely to vote and in part because many politicians are often looking for distinct issues through which to connect to younger voters.

Some recent and older related posts:

• California’s largest association of doctors urges legalization of marijuana
• “Obama: From First to Worst on Medical Marijuana”
• Feds now talking about prosecuting media running medical marijuana ads!?!
• “Feds target Calif. pot dispensaries for closure”
• As criticisms of pot prohibition continues, new PBS documentary “Prohibition” is must-watch TV
• “Bummer: Barack Obama turns out to be just another drug warrior”
• New poll reports that large majority of Americans consider “War on Drugs” a failure
• Effective commentary concerning political discussion of pot policy and the drug war
• A list of themes for stopping drug war “madness”