Medical marijuana patients shopping at a cannabis dispensary. (Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance)
NEW YORK, NY — Half of Americans continue to support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, and just over 8 out of 10 support allowing medical marijuana.
According to the Harris Poll released Wednesday, 82% of Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, up from 81% last year. Meanwhile, 50% of Americans support legalizing marijuana for recreational use, with 49% opposed.
When it comes to who decides the legality of marijuana, only 35% of those polled believe that decisions should be made at the federal level. Meanwhile, 48% believe states should retain the rights to set their own marijuana policies, an increase from 44% last year. The remaining seven percent was undecided or had no opinion.
In November, four states voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults, bringing total number of legal states to eight, plus the District of Columbia. Three additional states voted to approve medical marijuana use for the first time, while a fourth voted to restore a medical marijuana program that had been virtually destroyed by state lawmakers.
The Harris Poll of 2,054 adults was conducted online between December 8 and 12, 2016.
Full poll results can be found here.
Tags: Harris Poll, marijuana legalization polls, medical mairjuana, poll, polling, polls, public opinion