A majority of Americans say cannabis — medically and recreationally — is acceptable, according to numerous surveys, including those by Pew Research Center, Monmouth University and Arizona’s NORML.
Published on Oct. 24 by Marijuana Moment, the university’s poll showed most believe alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than marijuana.
Arizona’s NORML noted in April that “69% of adults support legalizing marijuana,” and most Americans said, “It’s less harmful than alcohol.” About 69% of respondents support legalization, and that rose to 92% when asked if cannabis should be permitted for therapeutic purposes.
According to NORML, 65% of survey takers, including 72% of baby boomers, acknowledge having tried cannabis at least once, which is a much higher percentage than has been reported in other national polls.
A Pew Research Center survey reported just “one-in-10 U.S. adults say marijuana should not be legal at all.” To break it down, 10% say marijuana should not be legal; 30% say cannabis should only be used for medical use; and 59% want to make it legal for medical and adult use.
According to Monmouth University’s national poll, 7% feel marijuana is more dangerous with 54% saying alcohol is more dangerous and 38% of respondents believing alcohol and marijuana are equally dangerous. Regarding tobacco versus marijuana, 13% feel marijuana is more dangerous than tobacco, 45% say tobacco is more dangerous and 38% said they are equally dangerous.
Pew Research Center reported the “steep rise in public support for marijuana legalization,” as shown by a separate Gallup survey. Gallup Poll asked whether the use of cannabis should be made legal, “without specifying where it would be legalized for recreational or medical use.” In this year’s poll, 68% of adults say marijuana should be legal, matching the record-high support for legalization Gallup found in 2021. The 2022 Gallup poll highlights who supports it, Gallup writer Jeffery M. Jones reported.
• 68% of U.S. adults favor legalizing marijuana
• Liberal, younger, less religious are most supportive
• Only 32% of conservatives aged 65 and older are in favor
Gallup first asked about legalizing marijuana in 1969; at that time only 12% of Americans were in favor of making it legal. The support increased as time moved on, with 31% supporting cannabis legalization in 2000 and surpassing the majority level at 58% in favor in 2013. Since 2016, at least six in 10 people have been in favor of legalizing marijuana and 68% were in support from 2020 to 2022.
The Gallup poll also charted: Support for Legalizing Marijuana Use, by Age and Political Ideology, Combined 2018-2022 data.
Under the “conservatives” heading: Ages 18 to 29, 65% support its legalization; ages 30 to 49, 59% are in support; ages 50-64, 49% are in favor; and 65 to older, 32% support legalization.
For “moderates,” the poll shows 82% are in support for ages 18 to 29; 78% of 30- to 49-year-olds are in favor of legalization; 70% of 50- to 64-year-olds support the legalization; and 62% of the age group 65 to older agree it should be legalized.
“Liberals” are the largest group of people in favor of legalizing cannabis, with 86% of 18- to 29-year-olds in support; 85% of 30- to 49-year-olds are in favor of legalization; 82% of 50- to 64-year-olds support it; and 81% in the age group of 65 and older favor legalization.
The American Addiction Centers editorial staff reported, “While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say people can’t ingest a lethal dose of marijuana, the legality of the substance might not tell the whole story. In fact, alcohol is legal in all 50 states but is responsible for 88,000 deaths every year and 2.5 million years of potential life lost.”
American Addiction Centers reported that the data leaves out the addiction factor. They surveyed over 1,000 people regarding whether alcohol or marijuana is more dangerous and if either one of them should have their legal status changed.
The percentage of those people believing alcohol or marijuana should be illegal is 10.8% for alcohol and 17% for marijuana. Those people who didn’t drink alcohol, 38% thought it should be illegal and 30% of people who didn’t use marijuana thought it should be illegal.
In contrast, the survey considered “if only one could be legal,” what was the percentage for each substance. The results reported 43% of people polled would choose alcohol, but 57% would choose cannabis.
Those who don’t drink alcohol (70%) chose to make marijuana legal; 56% who drink alcohol would also choose to make marijuana legal. Of those polled, 62% of people who didn’t use marijuana would choose to keep alcohol legal; 66% who used marijuana would want to make marijuana legal.
According to American Addiction Centers, “Even if ingesting marijuana isn’t deadly, it still can be dangerous.”
The centers state the short-term effects of THC can lead to altered moods, impaired body movement and hallucinations. They also say long-term effects of cannabis can include brain damage, memory loss and cognitive decline. However, their research is still not clear as to whether the effects are permanent.
“Nearly two in three people who used marijuana would choose to make it legal.” However, the report also stated, “Like cannabis, drinking alcohol has dangerous short- and long-term effects.” Drinking too much alcohol “in a single instance or consistently over time, can severely harm the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and can lead to several forms of cancer,” studies have shown.
