It’s a great day to be a marijuana activist. For the first time a clear majority of Americans (58%) say marijuana should be legalized. Compare that to 1969, when Gallup found only 12% favored marijuana legalization. It takes a long time to fix people’s minds when they have been brainwashed for so many decades. In just under a year support for marijuana legalization has grown 10 percentage points.
Excerpts from the Gallup Poll:
Independents Fueling Growth in Acceptance of Legalizing Marijuana
Independents’ growing support for legalization has mostly driven the jump in Americans’ overall support. Sixty-two percent of independents now favor legalization, up 12 points from November 2012. Support for legalization among Democrats and Republicans saw little change. Yet there is a marked divide between Republicans, who still oppose legalizing marijuana, and Democrats and independents.
Young Adults More Likely to Support Legalization
Americans 65 and older are the only age group that still opposes legalizing marijuana. Still, support among this group has jumped 14 percentage points since 2011. In contrast, 67% of Americans aged 18 to 29 back legalization. Clear majorities of Americans aged 30 to 64 also favor legalization.
