New Poll Shows Most Americans Want Legal Cannabis

It’s no secret that recently the climate around cannabis has changed drastically. The headlines of top trending stories have gone from being all about drug busts and illegal cannabis dealers to focusing on the awesome profits in legal cities and heartwarming success stories about children with seizures finding relief from CBD oil. And now its official—a recent poll shows that most Americans do in fact think that cannabis should be legal for recreational purposes.

According to a recent Gallup poll, over 50 percent of Americans now favor legal cannabis, and only 46 percent oppose it. Not only is this big news, it is also a significant jump from the 46 percent that backed it last year.

This is also drastically up from the numbers in previous decades. The first time Gallup polled Americans about cannabis use, in 1969, only 12 percent of people thought it should be legal, and 84 percent were opposed. Recent surveys have also shown that over 16 million Americans over the age of 12 years old use cannabis at least once a month. Cannabis was also found to be the third most popular recreational substance, trumped only by alcohol and tobacco, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

This survey also reflects the findings of a Gallop survey last year showing 70 percent of Americans favor doctors being able to prescribe medical cannabis. Medical cannabis has always been favored over recreational in these polls, but 70 percent is an exceptionally high number for any sort of cannabis support.

The poll also shows that more men than women favor legal cannabis, and that young people are more likely to support it. A whopping 62 percent of 18-29-year-olds approve, while only 31 percent of those over 65 support legalization.

However you look at it, it’s hard not to see that American has spoken: It’s more than time to legalize cannabis as medicine, and this country is now ready for fully recreational cannabis as well.