Poll: 85% of Americans Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana, 57% Support Recreational Legalization
According to a new HealthDay/Harris Poll, an overwhelming majority of adults in America support legalizing medical marijuana, with a strong majority also in support of legalizing the plant for recreational purposes.
The survey found that 85% of Americans believe that marijuana “should be legalized for medical use”, while 57% support legalizing and regulating the plant for anyone 21 and older, for any use. Among younger respondents (those ages 18 to 44), 68% agree that cannabis should be legal.
“Voters believe that ending America’s failed marijuana prohibition laws is a common-sense issue, not a partisan one,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano told HealthDay, which commissioned the poll. “It’s time for their elected officials to take a similar posture, and to move expeditiously to amend federal law in a manner that comports with public and scientific consensus, as well as with marijuana’s rapidly changing cultural and legal status.”
The results of the HealthDay/Harris Poll are similar to those of a Pew Research Center survey released in January, which found that 61% of voters in the U.S. support legalizing marijuana.