420 Campaign - Public Support for Legalization Reaches All-Time High
Mon, May 04, 2009 2:51 pm
Efforts by marijuana reform groups and activists are having tremendous success at building public support for marijuana’s legalization.
Right now 46% of Americans favor the legalization of small amounts of marijuana, according to an April 24th poll by ABC News and the Washington Post. This indicates that support for legalization has nearly doubled since the 1980s, when polling data indicated support for legalization ranging from 21% to 26% over several years. In May 1997 the ABC/Washington Post poll placed legalization support at 22%, while Time had it climbing to 39% in 2002.
According to the Washington Post “Respondents were near split on another issue that until recently was deemed untouchable in many parts of the country -- marijuana legalization. Forty-six percent of all respondents said they supported legalizing ‘possession of small amounts for personal use,’ with rates of support higher among men, among younger voters and among independents, a majority of whom supported legalization.”
The same poll reveals that the United States remains a center-right nation in which only 23% of the population identifies themselves as liberal. Moderates account for 39% of the country, and 35% identify themselves as conservatives. However in terms of party affiliation, 35% of Americans identify themselves as Democrats, 21% as Republicans, and 38% as Independents.
This poll also reveals growing support for gay marriage, now supported by 49% of the country. In 2006 support for gay marriage was at 36%.
The overall summary of these recent poll results by the Washington Post is that there is increasing support for these social issues, and this is very encouraging news for advocates of marijuana’s legalization.
Marijuana has fast become a mainstream political issue, subject to increasing attention from the media along with increased public support. Interest in marijuana reform in general, and marijuana’s legalization in particular, can no longer be ignored by politicians as a fringe issue. These poll results guarantee that politicians in Washington D.C and around the country will begin to pay increasingly more attention to marijuana legalization as one of the important issues on their radar.
How did we get here? These poll results are the direct result of increased advocacy for marijuana’s legalization by various reform groups such as the Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, and the Drug Policy Alliance. This increase in public support for marijuana’s legalization is a result of our persuasive arguments – the arguments of individual activists, the hard work of these and other advocacy organizations, and the specific arguments presented by the 420 Campaign’s list of Top Ten Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Legal.
How can we build on this accomplishment? Simple, turn up the heat! Continue to contact your elected representatives and urge them to support marijuana’s legalization! Contact any one of the above advocacy groups for help in contacting your elected representatives, or go to the Project Vote-Smart Web site.
Almost half the country supports the legalization of marijuana. Our next goal is to increase that figure to more than half, and this goal is not too far off. All it takes is continued work and dedication by supporters of marijuana’s legalization. Political activism works! The results are clear, and they provide proof that the strategy and activities of the reform movement are effective. Support marijuana reform organizations, participate in the 420 Campaign, and continue to work hard for legalization!










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Gone
Nov 4 2009, 1:44 pm
Johnny Weedseed
Oct 25 2009, 7:50 pm
From now until 4-20-10 save every viable see from every sack you have. Keep them in a cool DRY place, and on 4-20-10 plant as many as possible in COMPLETELY RANDOM PLACE! I mean if you see a plowed farm field disperse them randomly, plant as many as possible, and do it DISCREETLY PLEASE! Plant them in plain sight places and DO NOT GO BACK TO TEND TO THEM!!! Just simply let Nature take it's course. If we tie up even 100 hours of Narco Task Force time then we've succeeded, because that will allow 500 herb growers to grow without being hassled by the task forces. The Marijuana plant is a perennial and if allowed to grow without interruption will re-seed itself and we will return to the days of old where the shit grew naturally. To the critics, it may not work, but you never know unless you try. Plus we all have lots of seeds we plant in trashbags in landfills anyway, save some landfill space and plant those seeds EVERYWHERE...Note don't plant them on your own property or anywhere you intend to revisit. This may work, pass it on...please
Rusty
Oct 4 2009, 3:34 pm
Rusty
Oct 4 2009, 3:22 pm
The bottom line is we are every day Americans who can't be accepted socially because they choose to label us as Potheads like the time they've decriminated women, blacks. How can you tell others what to do, We live our only life as we choose. Are we really bad people for choosing pot over achol and really why are we decrimanated. We (pot smokers) are millions of Americans who deserve to live a life of freedom as all other Americans. We do'nt deserve jail time let us have our own communities they then could compare on how many times the police had to come to our communitiy vs nonsmokers if they want results.
Hashbrownie
Sep 24 2009, 5:03 pm
pewee
Aug 16 2009, 6:55 pm
Big Tizzy
Aug 10 2009, 12:19 am
JP
Aug 8 2009, 1:39 am
Garrett
Aug 5 2009, 9:55 pm
joe
Aug 4 2009, 11:13 pm
jamesv
Jul 25 2009, 1:53 am
GmanWizard2008
Jul 22 2009, 2:44 am
Would it not cut down on costs of drugtests waisted by the typical everyday smoker? Would it not help create new jobs?
Would it not cut down costs for convictions of possesion charges? Is a bag of weed more dangerous than a bag of pills? Is there a possibility that marijuana could help or cure certain diagnoses physical or psychological?
TthatTree
Jul 16 2009, 4:50 am
Instead of having all these people kill each other and die from Drinking and smoking from stuff that is legal?!
Marijuana isnt even legal but yet how many people does it kill?
Government is fucked up.
One day we need to have a big gathering and have the government their and hotbox a fucking building and change their mind.
Thats whats up bro.
JAS from NY
Jul 13 2009, 5:42 am
We are loosing our families in this war and I would rather see a family member in rehab than loose the ability to get scholarships, loose all hope of getting any licensed job, ( yeh Billy smoked some dope he cant cut hair ) Loose housing benefits and theoretically loose their lives at the range of 16 – 20 because of an arrest record, not to mention the law and military forces we loose when they actually find a real dealer or trafficker and aren’t breaking into an 72 yr old woman’s home giving her a heart attack and having her death on their hands.
Common Sense is the number one thing needed in this country, we are spending trillions not only in our nation but in others as well fighting the same war and the only difference that it has honestly made is instead of the dealers selling the weak stuff now they have a whole new grade of stuff to sell. Come on America please just open your eyes for an hour enough to read the basic facts.
treehugger
Jul 2 2009, 8:12 pm
Vote NO on Bill HR 875, google it, before it's too late!
Google CODEX, Monsanto, FDA bilateral's via trilaterals and quadralaterals.
Sounds impressive, 'eh? Does any of that sound like AMERICAN FARMER'S ARE FUCKED? 90% of all plants and animals, FUCKED. Cuz they code it appropriately, and cover generously with HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. Google that too!
All of this, to feed 300 million obese diabetics? WOW! Mars may not even be able to help us.
treehugger
Jun 27 2009, 4:24 am
It's oppression, the super rich elitest fucks don't want an uneducated person to be able to "get rich" or just make a living by watering a weed...especially if, "it makes you stupid and lazy".
But none of that should matter now. It's obvious that the majority of the population is FRIENDLY, and if the gov't still refuses to act -
AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE TO THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
200 years of talkin shit and walking with a big stick, but nothing near a democratic process.
treehugger
Jun 25 2009, 5:25 pm
It's a plant and should be regulated like any other plant. No restrictions or taxes for personal consumption. You don't get taxed for growing strawberry plants, just on the seeds you bought. If you sell, you pay taxes.
There are hundreds of plants that cause psyhchotropic effects, some are very deadly. Yet, they're all still out there, growing all over the place.
Legislation shouldn't be setting an age limit either. If a Dr determines a juvenille could benefit, who the fuck should make a law to argue that?
Or let's just keep feeding them the shit that causes kidney disease, heart attack, stroke, liver failure, convulsions, IF YOU DON'T COMMIT SUICIDE FIRST.
Yah, sign me up for some of that!
treehugger
Jun 25 2009, 5:10 pm
What a superpower, the smartest, and most technologically advanced civilization in history.....please
Scottie A
Jun 23 2009, 12:00 am
skucked out
Jun 21 2009, 10:09 am
I vote!!!!!!
May 15 2009, 12:44 pm
hoosier84
May 14 2009, 4:39 pm
Jeremy
May 13 2009, 6:42 pm
If the USA legalizes and taxes all sales of medical marijuana and non-medical use.
Why should marijuana be legal?
* People have a basic right to make choices for themselves as long as their actions do not harm others.
Responsible individuals in a free society should be allowed to choose whether or not they use marijuana. Individual liberty is a fundamental value.
* The government is wasting our time and money by prohibiting marijuana.
Taxpayers are forced to pay billions of dollars to persecute, prosecute, and incarcerate people for having marijuana. If marijuana were legal and regulated (like alcohol and tobacco) this money, plus tax revenues from marijuana sales, could be used for other purposes such as education and health care.
* Prohibition is not an effective solution to the problems associated with marijuana use.
Marijuana, like tobacco and alcohol, can be abused. But prohibition is expensive and ineffective; education and regulation are better solutions.
Regulating sales of marijuana and teaching people the truth about its health effects will allow us to minimize the harms and costs to society.
* We have learned a lesson from history.
Alcohol prohibition did not work, and there is no logical reason to believe that marijuana prohibition is a better idea.
What is most likely due to happen is:
1. The USA can help get through the recession faster .
It could raise over $1.2 billion a year in new tax revenues, assuming a $50-an-ounce tax,according to one analysis.
2. Can use the tax from such a bill to legalize marijuana to better enforce the more deadlier drugs on the street which are far more fatle than marijuana.
3. The tax on marijuana not only can be used to help get the more dangerous drugs off the streets but also will help to strengthen the USA's finantial problem while opening the doors to a business designed to the helping of Medical patiance who need the medication.
4. If the USA legalizes marijuana and taxes it while having a law stating that the user must be atleast 21 to buy , posess , and/or own marijuana .
Reason for this is simple and will lessen crime in which a vast % of jails/prisons are holding people for simple
posession while others face more due to culturevation and distriutation of marijuana.
FACT: Annual American marijuana smokers who have died are 0 which is normal while their are more deaths due to DUI's and perscription medications such as Vicodin , Morphine ,and Lithium to name a few.
Can a person ever die due to smoking marijuana ?
ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS
TOBACCO ........................ 400,000
ALCOHOL ........................ 100,000
ALL LEGAL DRUGS .............20,000
ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ..........15,000
CAFFEINE .........................2,000
ASPIRIN ...........................500
MARIJUANA ...................... 0
----------------------------------------
Source: United States government...
National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Bureau of Mortality Statistics
The answer is simply "extreamly unlikely" 0 people have died due to over dose and / or use of marijuana .
Help to support us by simply spreading the word and by answering the simple question:
Should the USA legalize marijuana but treat it as we treat alcohol?
Joe B.
May 11 2009, 8:46 pm
Especially if they want to keep their jobs...
treehugger
May 7 2009, 7:54 pm
sloppyjalopy90
May 5 2009, 9:29 am
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