Majority of Americans Now Favor Cannabis Legalization

As Washington and Colorado continue to blaze a path toward the retail sale of cannabis a new Gallup poll shows citizens of these states are not the only ones who favor the legalization of our favorite herb.

According to the poll, a majority of Americans now favor legalizing marijuana, with 58 percent reporting that they agree its time to end of the drug’s prohibition. These numbers reflect the first time since the phone survey began in 1969 in which a majority of Americans support legalizing cannabis. The results from the ’69 poll showed only 12 percent in favor of legalization.

These numbers are in line with an April poll by Pew Research, in which 52 percent of those polled favored legalization.

Also like April’s Pew poll, a sizable percentage of Americans (38 percent for Gallup and 48 percent for Pew) reported that they have tried cannabis this year.

“Whatever the reasons for Americans’ greater acceptance of marijuana, it is likely that this momentum will spur further legalization efforts across the United States,” Gallup said.