WE THE PEOPLE: American Support for Cannabis Legalization is at Record Levels

Despite the unfortunate decision in the Southern District of New York this week, the majority of Americans believe that cannabis should be de-criminalized, medicinized (yes, it's a new word), legalized, re-scheduled, researched, and regulated.

Five major polls prove the majority of Americans now share this viewpoint.

Since April 2017, four national surveys have been released that examined Americans' perception of marijuana. Here were the results:

April 2017: CBS News

"Marijuana should be..."

- Legal: 61%

- Not legal: 33%

August 2017: Quinnipiac University

"Do you think that the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States, or not?"

- Yes: 61%

- No: 33%

October 2017: Gallup

"Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?"

- Legal: 64%

- Illegal: 34%

January 2018: Pew Research Center

"Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?"

- Legal: 61%

- Illegal: 37%

THE TREND LINES ARE STRIKING

American support for legalization has been on a dramatic upswing of late, but the Pew Research Center shows that this trend has gone in this direction for decades

And in the most one-sided result from a cannabis poll, Quinnipiac University asked American voters about their support for medicinal cannabis in 2017 and found,

"Voters also support 94% to 5% "allowing adults to legally use marijuana

for medical purposes if their doctor prescribes it," also the highest level of support in any national poll..."

image source: Pew Research Center