Legalization

In recent years, polls have shown that a majority of Americans think the United States is losing the so-called “War on Drugs” and that states should be allowed to decide whether marijuana is legal. Now, just months after the passage of two voter-approved state initiatives to legalize and regulate marijuana, a new Pew poll finds that for the first time, a majority of all Americansalso think marijuana should be legal. The nationwide survey found that 52 percent support legalized marijuana, while 45 percent oppose legalization. Unsurprisingly, the strongest support comes from younger Americans, with 65 percent of Millenials age 18 to 32 in favor of legalization. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press illustrates shifting public opinion on this question:

An overwhelming  72 percent now believe that government efforts to enforce marijuana laws have cost more than they’re worth, and some 60 percent  say the federal government should not enforce federal marijuana laws in states where it is legal. In medical marijuana states, federal authorities have continued to crack down on some distributors seemingly complying with state law. As Washington and Colorado move forward in implementing their new recreational marijuana laws, Attorney General Eric Holder has yet to announce the official Department of Justice policy, although he has said he will have an answer “relatively soon.”

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org