Over Half of Americans Now in Favor of Recreational Cannabis

cannabisBy Claire Bernish

It’s official: more Americans now support the legal, recreational use of cannabis than those who feel prohibition should continue. In fact, 52 percent of people are in favor of the legalization of marijuana for “recreational” purposes — and fully 68 percent are in favor of legalization for medical use.

Performed by Vox in conjunction with Morning Consult, the poll marks a noteworthy shift away from the government’s War on Drugs and marijuana prohibition — largely considered a failed venture by experts, advocates, and observers.

Of the 2,000 registered U.S. voters polled, another telling facet of arbitrary legality came to light: far more are opposed to legalized dangerous substances in the form of pharmaceuticals than are opposed to cannabis.

“[W]hile legal, pharmaceutical versions of methamphetamine and heroin are two of the most commonly prescribed and abused substances in the United States, nearly 80 percent of the respondents said they opposed the medicinal use of these drugs,” High Times’ Mike Adams reported.

Big Pharma’s drugs, in fact, were found by a study in 2014 to kill more people than all illegal drugs — combined.

The poll also queried specifically whether people support or oppose decriminalization of various substances, defined as “no arrest, prison time, or criminal record for the first-time possession of a small amount.” Wholly 59 percent of respondents affirmed that cannabis users simply shouldn’t be treated as criminals.

Unfortunately, when it comes to every other substance — even those with scientifically-proven medical and psychological benefits, like psilocybin — Americans fall harshly on the side of criminal penalties for possession and use.

It seems apparent cannabis maintains the advantage, having been legalized or decriminalized in varying degrees in a number of states. Perhaps the myriad economic and medicinal benefits making headlines have boosted the plant’s reputation in mainstream culture, while the Drug War’s negative PR effectively clings to similarly harmless substances.

While the U.S. obviously hasn’t come to the consensus necessary to end the War on Drugs as Portugal, Ireland, and others have done, the new poll echoes similar results — and evidences the country has, at least, tired of cannabis prohibition.

This article (Over Half of Americans Now in Favor of Recreational Cannabis) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email [email protected].

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16 Comments on "Over Half of Americans Now in Favor of Recreational Cannabis"

  1. As if our opinions matter to our political overlords and what they want.

  2. locutus_of_klingons | March 19, 2016 at 3:24 pm |

    it is insane to ban any plant whatsoever. cannabis will however further dumb down the american public, which is already deficient in the ability of independent thinking. why are people like soros pouring money into legalization efforts?

    • locutus, I bet you are an overweight, unintelligent and have never done anything significant in your whole life.

      Why don’t you do your research on marijuana before you post this dumb
      stuff. Noone listens to you, unless joking about your feeble mind.

      The fact is that the people that use this drug are extremely intelligent.
      But the main stream media and movies don’t show this, which proves independent
      thinking is not your strong point.

      If you had even a small amount of information on the subject you would have not posted such nonsense…

      I
      have read other posts from you which are just as wrong. Why don,t
      you do something that you might actually be good at, or know anything
      about? Im guessing because you don’t have anything you are good at
      because you just sit on your fat butt and type nonsense

    • A concerned american | March 20, 2016 at 3:07 pm |

      But a lot of people don’t care if they’re dumbed down, they live for today and not their future. They let others obtain an education, make a good living and pay for the drug users health care-it’s the Obama way to a enlightened society.

    • There is no evidence cannabis “dumbs down” anyone but its critics.

  3. THC and CBD are in love with our DNA. Move to Colorado and imbibe for the health of it and the great sunsets…with a little help form our friends.
    It does not impair your mind – and is a whole lot safer than alcohol. Might even slow things down a bit.
    BTW: Pyra – I completely agree – the land of DeCeipt has never done anything for the common folks of the U.S. except create a bunch of layabouts…so long as you like living in rat infestation.
    Keep sending the war machine tax dollars – and Is-Ra-hELl will appreciate that…especially when they turn on us.

  4. A concerned american | March 20, 2016 at 3:04 pm |

    It’s a good thing that they didn’t say 100% of all Americans approve because they didn’t ask me! Don’t the people realize that smoke inhalation from marijuana leads to lung problems as well as other health problems not to mention economic problems for the users? Colorado approved rec usage and what have they gotten that is positive? Head-on collisions on the highways killing innocent people and other accidents that are horrendous.

  5. Cannabis use causes : SCHIZOPHRENIA – it’s scientificaly proven!

    • Ok then. what causes people born with schiz? you are an idiot. Why dont you check on the numbers of people with schiz in countries with it legalized? Another msm lie. You read stuff on this site and post this garbage as scientifically proven???

      I can only hope one day the god allows all the people you tricked to prescribe you what you deserve.

    • It only triggers the existing genetic predisposition of teenage onset schizophrenia – it is actually a useful drug for managing the symptoms of the condition.

  6. “largely considered a failed venture by experts, advocates, and observers.”
    This is ignorance – it actually was a very successful crime carried out on society by Rockefeller and the Big Pharma crime syndicate he created. The number of people who have suffered and died as a result of this criminal fraud is incalculable.

  7. cannabis oil , og kush , bubba kush , green crack , blue dream and many others , place your order now at 420cannabisplug dot com

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