Cannabis Column - #37

Jon Gettman is a long time contributor to HIGH TIMES. A former National Director of NORML, Jon has a Ph.D. in public policy and regional economic development and consults with attorneys, advocates, and non-profits on cannabis related research and public policy issues. On October 8, 2002, along with a coalition of organizations, he filed a new petition to have cannabis rescheduled under federal law. This column will track that petition's progress.
A Record Number of Americans Favoring Marijuana’s Legalization Provides Historic Opportunity to Build Majority Support

A majority of Americans do not support the legalization of marijuana, but survey data indicates that over the last twenty years support for legalization has been steadily growing.

The Sourcebook for Criminal Justice Statistics provides data on public attitudes about marijuana’s legalization in the form of summary tables from several national surveys. These tables provide detailed information regarding support for legalization by age, sex, education, income, region of the country and political affiliation; they provide solid proof of both the progress the marijuana reform movement has made in recent years as well as the challenge that remains for supporters of legalization.

For the first time in decades in 2005 a majority of Americans (55%) opposed criminal penalties for marijuana use, an increase from 46% in 1985 and 47% in 2000.

Support for marijuana’s legalization, as measured in 2005, stands at 36%, the highest ever. In 1969 only 12% of Americans favored legalization, by 1977 that had increased to 28%. In 1979 support for legalization fell to 25% where it more or less remained through 1995. But with an increase in marijuana arrests throughout the 1990s and the advent of medical marijuana reform in California in 1996 public opinion began to reflect the realization that prohibition just wasn’t worth the costs and as a result, support for legalization began to increase. By 2000 support for legalization had increased to 31%, for 2001 and 2003 support stood at 33%, and then reached a new record high at 36% in 2005.

Support for legalization fell steadily among college freshmen from 51.3% in 1977 to 16.7% in 1989, but since then legalization has steadily gained support from first year college students. By 1992 legalization was supported by 24.8% of college freshmen, by 1996 legalization support had increased to 32.4%. In 2005 marijuana’s legalization was supported by 37.7% of college freshmen.

A 2002 poll showed that support for legalization was stronger among males (38%) than females (30%) and among whites (36%) than blacks (24%). Legalization support is strongest among 19-20 year olds (59%) and decreases with age, with only 41% of people age 21 to 29 supporting it, 38% age 30 to 49, and 24% of those 50 and over.

Legalization support is strongest in the West (45%) and weakest in the South (27%), and, interestingly, more popular in the Midwest (38%) than in the Northeast (29%). Legalization also has more support from those whose religion is Jewish (60%) than Catholic (30%) and Protestants (26%). Politically, legalization has the greatest support from Independents at 39% compared to 34% of Democrats and 24% of Republicans.

The medical use of marijuana, though, has overwhelming support from all Americans. When asked in 2005 "Would you favor or oppose making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering?" 78% of Americans said they favored the legal use of marijuana for these medical reasons, an increase from 75% in 2003. In 2003 over 64% of every demographic group considered expressed support for medical use.

Recent reports on the failure of marijuana arrests and marijuana eradication efforts to reduce the use and availability of marijuana provide clear and convincing evidence that marijuana prohibition is a failing and costly policy. The failure of marijuana prohibition and changing public opinion provide additional justification for HIGH TIMES’ editorial position supporting marijuana’s legalization as the number one priority of reform efforts.

The long term trends in public opinion suggest that the next few years will provide a historic opportunity to build majority support for legalization, providing a chance to build support for legalization among both Democrats and Republicans in the Congress and among the emerging field of candidates in the 2008 presidential elections. For all these reasons and more now is the time to participate in HIGH TIMES’ 420 Campaign and embrace the 420 strategy for legalization. Learn who your state and federal legislators are, contact them now, on April 20th, and several times in the future and let them know of your support for marijuana’s legalization.

Support for legalization is growing, but in order for this growth to continue it is important for the public and for political leaders to learn more about the failures of prohibition and to frequently hear from supporters of legalization in every part of the country. One of the reasons the reform movement has been more successful in the last 10 years has been its diversity and its efforts to reach out to more of the country through different organizations and a broad range of activities and projects – all of which amplifies the central message that marijuana’s legalization is good for the country. Now is the time to take advantage of that progress and make your voice heard. The poll numbers indicate that it is still a challenge to build majority support for legalization, yet it is a challenge not only worth meeting, but one that the movement is well on its way to achieving.