A Summary of Marijuana Based Polls
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). March 5-9, 2014. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error +/- 3.1.
“Which of the following substances would you say is the MOST harmful to a person’s overall health: tobacco, alcohol, sugar, or marijuana?”
| Tobacco | 49% |
| Alcohol | 24% |
| Sugar | 15% |
| Marijuana | 8% |
| All | 3% |
| Unsure | 1% |
Pew Research Center February 14-23, 2014. N=1,821 adults nationwide. Margin of error is +/- 2.6.
“Which comes closer to your view about the use of marijuana by adults? Marijuana should be legal for personal use. It should be legal only for medicinal use. It should not be legal.”
| Legal for personal use | 39% |
| Legal for medicinal use | 44% |
| It should not be legal | 16% |
“If marijuana is not legalized, do you think people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana should serve time in jail or not?”
| Should | 22% |
| Should not | 76% |
| Unsure | 2% |
“If marijuana were as widely available as alcohol, which do you think would be more harmful to society: marijuana or alcohol?”
| Alcohol | 63% |
| Marijuana | 23% |
| Neither/Both | 11% |
| Unsure | 2% |
Pew Research Center October 15-20, 2014. N=2,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error is 2.5.
“Do you think marijuana should be made legal, or not?”
|
10/15/2014 |
Legal 52% | Illegal 45% | Unsure 3% |
| 2/12/2014 | 54% | 42% | 3% |
| 3/13/2013 | 52% | 45% | 3% |
| 2/22/2011 | 45% | 50% | 5% |
| 3/10/2010 | 41% | 52% | 7% |
CBS News Poll. May 14, 2014. N=1,011 adults nationwide. Margin of error is +/- 3.
“Do you think that the use of marijuana should be legal, or not?”
| Legal
% |
Illegal
% |
Unsure
% |
|
| 5/14/14 | 48 | 47 | 5 |
| Men | 54 | 41 | 5 |
| Women | 43 | 53 | 4 |
| 18 to 29 years | 60 | 37 | 3 |
| 30 to 44 | 57 | 39 | 5 |
| 45 to 64 | 41 | 54 | 5 |
| 65 & Older | 37 | 58 | 5 |
|
2/19/14 |
51 |
46 |
3 |
| Republicans | 34 | 64 | 2 |
| Democrats | 60 | 37 | 3 |
| Independents | 55 | 42 | 3 |
|
1/17/14 |
51 |
44 |
5 |
| Republicans | 35 | 61 | 3 |
| Democrats | 59 | 36 | 5 |
| Independents | 54 | 40 | 6 |
|
4/13 |
45 |
45 |
11 |
Source: https://www.pollingreport.com/drugs.htm
Today is Election Day, with many states voting on the legalization of medical marijuana use and some deciding whether to allow recreational use. The trend of state- by-state marijuana legalization will be put to the test tomorrow. Stephen Gutwillig of The Huffington Post reported that although it is an off election, it is an important one for drug reform policy. Most prominently, Oregon voters have the chance to pass Measure 91, which could make Oregon the third state to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults. Alaska, one of the earliest states to legalize medical marijuana in 1998, will vote on Measure 2, a proposition for statewide legalization of marijuana, which would make it the first politically red state to legalize recreationally. Florida will vote to legalize medical marijuana. California residents will vote on a softening of penalties for 6 crimes, including bringing simple drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor. Washington D.C., home to a radical decriminalization law change earlier this year, will vote for or against Initiative 71, a bill legalizing consumption, possession, and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana. These polls can help a potential voter or investor gauge the general level of acceptance of legalized marijuana across demographic and geographic lines. Tomorrow’s action will be crucial to watch for the future of marijuana legalization.
