The Public Supports Legalizing Marijuana

CBS News Poll Marijuana Legal

There were several recent public opinion polls showing support for legalizing marijuana at its highest point.

First up is a Quinnipiac University National Poll which reported that 60 percent of US voters believe that “that the use of marijuana should be made legal in the U.S.,” the highest level of support for legalized marijuana in a Quinnipiac University national poll.

94 percent of voters also support “allowing adults to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if their doctor prescribes it” also the highest level of support in any national poll by the independent Quinnipiac University.

The Quinnipiac University National Poll reported that 73 percent of voters oppose government enforcement of federal laws against marijuana in states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana.  No group of voters supports enforcement in states where marijuana is legal.

76 percent of voters support reducing the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, the same classification as heroin.  Again, all groups support this reduction.

The other poll is from CBS News which also shows support for legalizing marijuana is higher than ever.  Here are some highlights…

61 percent of Americans think marijuana use should be legal.  Even most Americans who oppose legalizing marijuana in general think medical marijuana use should be allowed.

Three in four adults between 18 and 34 support legal marijuana use, as do six in 10 Americans between 35 and 64.  Most Democrats and independents increasingly think marijuana use should be legal, while Republicans are divided.  Men and women are equally in favor of legal marijuana.

71 percent of Americans oppose the federal government’s efforts to stop marijuana sales and its use in states that have legalized it.  This opposition cuts across party lines – the majorities of Republicans (63 percent), Democrats (76 percent), and independents (72 percent) oppose the federal government trying to stop marijuana use in these states.

Most Americans view marijuana as safer than alcohol.

Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime

Marijuana Law

The enactment of US laws regulating the sale and use of cannabis for medical purposes is not associated with any uptick in the rate of violent crime or property crime, according to data compiled by researchers at the University of Victoria and the Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Institute in New Zealand.

Investigators analyzed FBI crime data from the years 1988 to 2013 to assess the potential impact of medical marijuana legalization schemes on rates of murder, forcible rape, aggravated assault, burglary, and larceny.  Researchers reported that neither the establishment of dispensaries or an increase in adult marijuana use was associated with adverse outcomes on crime.

“We do not find evidence that medical marijuana laws consistently affect violent and property crime,” authors concluded.  “Our results suggest that liberalization of marijuana laws is unlikely to result in the substantial social cost that some politicians clearly fear.”

Read the full report – Joint Culpability: The Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime.

The findings are similar to previous reviews.  For example, a 2012 study by investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, examined whether the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries is associated with elevated crimes rates.  The study reported that the proliferation of medical cannabis dispensaries was not associated with any demonstrable increase in violent crime or property crime.  Read the full report – Exploring the Ecological Association Between Crime and Medical Marijuana Dispensaries.

In another example, a 2014 study published in the journal PLOS ONE reported that the legalization of medical marijuana was associated with a decrease in incidences of certain types of violent crime, such as homicide and assault.  Read the full report – Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime.

And in a final example, a 2011 study of crime rates in Los Angeles published by the RAND Corporation similarly concluded, “[W]e found no evidence that medical marijuana dispensaries in general cause crime to rise.”  Indeed, the opposite appeared to be true.  The study found that crime actually increased near hundreds of pot shops after they were required to close.