Most Americans Do Not Support Recreational Marijuana Legalization
A new survey by Emerson College shows that 62% of registered voters do not favor legalizing marijuana. However, when other options are presented, they prefer the non-legalization policy option.
When the promoters of the marijuana industry claim that polls show that most people are in favor of legalizing marijuana, they are not saying what is true. They continue to perpetuate the myth that there are only two options: full legalization or full prohibition.
Other Forms of Legalization
This new poll, conducted by Emerson College, finds that most of the people are supportive of other marijuana policies that are non-legal (prohibition, decriminalization, or medical legalization). However, only 38% of the people think that the country should move to legalize and commercialize marijuana, in order to produce, recreational use, and sales like marijuana sold in stores. The number of African-Americans who support recreational legalization is notably low: only 31% of them support it. It is also very low in groups that are traditionally considered being pro-legalization: 57% of people between 18 and 34, and 59% of Democrats oppose legalizing things.
Analyst Comment
The poll may not be from an unbiased source, but it reflects what we are all seeing in societies that have legalized marijuana. We have seen a particularly negative impact of legalized marijuana in certain minority communities and this poll reflects their dissatisfaction with full legalization.