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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 20 March 2019

Poll: Support rises in all age groups for legal pot

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD year-olds, with nearly 75
Associated Press percent favoring it.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A But older Americans are
growing majority of Ameri- taking a more favorable
cans say marijuana should view, too. Forty-six percent
be legal, underscoring of those 65 and older say
a national shift as more marijuana should be legal,
states embrace cannabis up from 42 percent in 2016.
for medical or recreation- Views on marijuana legal-
al use. Support for legal ization have shifted dra-
marijuana hit 61 percent in matically: In the 1973 GSS,
2018, up from 57 percent just 19 percent supported
two years ago, according legalization. The change
to the General Social Sur- in Americans’ views about
vey, a widely respected cannabis can also be
trend survey that has been witnessed on the cam-
measuring support for legal paign trail. A growing list
marijuana since the 1970s. of Democratic presidential
An analysis of the survey by contenders want the U.S.
The Associated Press-NORC government to legalize
Center for Public Affairs Re- marijuana, including Cali-
search and the General fornia Sen. Kamala Harris,
Social Survey staff finds a former prosecutor whose
that increased backing of This Feb. 17, 2016 file photo shows marijuana plants at a home in Honolulu. home state is the nation’s
legalization cut across all Associated Press largest legal pot shop, and
age groups and political country. Most Americans ational or medical use. rector of the National Or- New Jersey Sen. Cory Book-
parties. The 2018 poll is the now live in places where Legalization advocates ganization for the Reform of er, a prominent legalization
first in which a majority of marijuana is legal in some say the increasing public Marijuana Laws, or NORML. advocate on Capitol Hill.
Republicans support legal- form, with 10 states allow- support should prompt the “Never in modern history Support for legal pot has
izing marijuana — 54 per- ing recreational usage and U.S. government to reverse has there existed greater been gradually growing for
cent, up from 45 percent in more than 30 allowing me- course. At the federal level, public support for ending years, but it has increased
2016. Among Democrats, dicinal use. marijuana is categorized as the nation’s nearly century- sharply since 2012, when
76 percent now favor le- The GSS asks about making a dangerous illegal drug, long experiment with mari- Colorado and Washing-
galization. The rising sup- use of marijuana legal, but similar to LSD or heroin. juana prohibition.” ton state became the first
port mirrors the evolving does not specify whether it “Our time has come,” said Support for legalization is states to legalize the recre-
legal landscape across the should be legal for recre- Justin Strekal, political di- strongest among 18-to-34- ational use of cannabis.q

The General Social Survey has been conducted since
1972 by NORC at the University of Chicago, primarily
using in-person interviewing.

Sample sizes for each year’s survey vary from about
1,500 to about 3,000 adults, with margins of error fall-
ing between plus or minus 2.2 percentage points and
plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The most recent survey was conducted April 12
through Nov. 10, 2018, and includes interviews with
2,348 American adults.