CBS polling reveals that support for legal marijuana use has reached an all-time high, with more than half (53%) saying marijuana should be legal. Over the last 30 years we’ve seen a massive shift in public opinion on this issue, as support for legalized marijuana use has grown by 25%. CBS News says that only four years ago, in 2011, a majority of Americans did not support legalization.
A notable difference on the marijuana issue is both gender-based and partisan. A majority of men support legalization while women are split on the issue; and on the partisan front, “most” Democrats favor legalization while most Republicans are opposed.
Perhaps the changing opinions are based on marijuana use, as the survey also shows that more people are using marijuana now than 18 years ago. The survey found that 43% say they have tried marijuana, while back in 1997 only 34% said they had. CBS explains, “not surprisingly, 74 percent of those who have tried marijuana think it should be legal, compared to just 35 percent who have never tried it.”
Even so, the marijuana issue isn’t a huge campaign issue. Three-quarters say it wouldn’t matter if a presidential candidate used marijuana, and those numbers are consistent across party lines.
This poll was conducted by telephone April 8-12, 2015 among a random sample of 1,012 adults nationwide.
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