July 13, 2009 9:02 AM

Poll: 41 Percent Support Pot Legalization

By
Kevin Hechtkopf
Topics
Domestic Issues
Updated 5:30 p.m. ET

(CBS)
A CBS News Poll released today finds that 41 percent of Americans think the use of marijuana should be made legal. Fifty-two percent disagree.

The percentage supporting legalization has varied a bit recently. In March of this year 31 percent favored legalization but the number was higher in January at 41 percent, matching what it is now.

Thirty years ago just 27 percent thought the use of marijuana should be made legal.

Demographically, slim majorities of Americans under age 35 and liberals favor legalizing marijuana. By contrast, older people and conservatives are some of the least likely groups to back legalization. Men are a bit more likely than women to say using marijuana should be made legal.

Geographical region also impacts opinions. Opposition to legalizing marijuana is greatest in the South, while over four in 10 of those living in other areas of the country support legalization.

Forty-six percent of those residing in the west favor legalizing marijuana (the highest of any region), but forty-eight are opposed to the idea.

?Results By Demographic
Yes No Don't Know
Total 41% 52% 7%
Men 44% 51% 5%
Women 39% 53% 8%
Under Age 35 52% 38% 10%
Age 35 and Over 36% 59% 5%
Northeast 44% 48% 8%
Midwest 43% 49% 8%
South 35% 59% 6%
West 46% 48% 6%
Liberal 55% 35% 10%
Moderate 41% 52% 7%
Conservative 33% 64% 3%


Read the complete poll (PDF)>

CBSNews.com Special Report: Marijuana Nation: The New War Over Weed

America's Love-Hate History with Pot


This poll was conducted among a random sample of 944 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 9-12, 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Add a Comment See all 78 Comments
by Saint-Rico November 5, 2009 2:21 PM EST
Cannabis should be legalized because Prohibition has the audacity to try and take away my GOD-given right to freedom of will/choice. At the very least prohibition is Anti-American; at most, it seems to be Disrespectful of God's own will. And if, indeed "In God we Trust"...then why do we have laws in place that directly violate and deprive people of the very gift(FREE WILL) that God has granted us as human beings??????
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by kievitt October 19, 2009 2:10 PM EDT
This poll is a complete joke. 944 adults does NOT represent America's stance on the issue. This is actually a complete misrepresentation and is intentionally done so to make it look like the overwhelming majority of Americans do not favor marijuana legalization. Do a real poll CBS, not this ********. Do a running poll on your homepage with the simple question: Do you think marijuana should be legalized in the United States? I GUARANTEE that by the end of the poll, at LEAST 60% of the voters favor legalization. Your current poll of 944 people is a travesty.
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by hionareef August 2, 2009 8:53 PM EDT
Once you stop using, your sperm count goes back to normal.
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by davidcharlesh July 16, 2009 12:48 PM EDT
I agree with the previous comments. I have watched pharmaceuticals destroy my wife's health. Pot has been one of the most useful drugs for her for pain, nausea and depression. Recreationally, it is an extraordinary aphrodisiac. I know there are those who will say it lowers sperm count, but what it does on the positive end is often amazing! Lighten up! The world can be a fun place to play!!!! The US still has that Victorian, tight-assed approach to living.
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by Danza23 July 16, 2009 11:04 AM EDT
I am for the legalization of cannibus. We have been fighting cancer for years and the pentagon has just stated that they aren't going to ban cigarettes yet, but mary isn't ok? I just don't understand where some of these views are coming from. It goes back to prohibition. The government fought and fought to try and keep alcohol illegal, the people held speak easies and such, millions and millions of dollars made that couldn't be taxed. The legalization of alcohol is one of the only reasons the United States was able to survive the depression. Alcohol has been proven to cause disease, addiction and poverty. It's still around because it's a cash cow. Marijuana is beyond alcohol in the fact that it will make billions, and the up keep and turn around is way cheaper, with a profit margin that's way higher.
Take a look at pharmaceutical drugs. Billions of dollars are paid by the companies to the government and to the FDA to pass there products on to the public without proper research, inspection and or care. Nobody wants to talk about the millions of pill heads out there robbing, killing and hurting the innocent. I always get into debates about this with people and they will stand toe to toe with me for a minute until I bring up their "drug of choice", then it's different. I just feel that a lot of facts are not brought up because so much money has already been invested into these "legal" drugs and they know that the legalization will be counter-productive to the already invested "happiness in pill form". I prefer to smoke a joint than to take a pill for anxiety, sleep deprevation, migraines, up-set stomache and joint pain(just to name a few), and without the worry of kidney failure or strong addiction.
Marijuana has been labeled a "gateway" drug, people control their own actions and choices. Just because I smoked pot, doesn't make me run out and shove a needle in my arm or snort a powder up my nose. When I smoke my vision seems to be more intuned, I'm relaxed, I play guitar or go workout. Now I'm not saying that everyone should smoke marijuana, because some people take it in the wrong text and go overboard with it. There are alcoholics out there, pill heads and people that smoke 2 packs of cigs a day.
So in conclusion, I am pro-legalization,taxation and decriminalization of the marijuana plant. It can be regulated. Now black market selling of the plant without permits and such should still be a punishable offense. I feel cops should be out there hunting down rapists, murders and such. Not people with a couple of grams.Save the room in the jails for the bad guys.
Thanks for reading,
Josh
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by Realityman7 July 16, 2009 8:47 AM EDT
it's unheard of.What is nex cocain,LSD all drugs? How the Police will track DUI? The pot stays in your system for up to 30 days,alcohol only up to 24-36 hours.I got caught for DUI,even when I was in overseas and I did come over for 2 weeks,the state lower the limit from 0.1 to 0.08 and I was over 0.08,but under .1 and I still had to pay a tons of money ,(for me), the lawyer bastard and I have the record since.So I am against it and how tey will track all of the criminal records for "illegal" pot.Are they going to erase all of the criminal records?The Pot or alcohol is the same affect a on DUI.The Pot is even worse,since you are loosing the memory,and to be spaced out.Politicians,try to evaluate your salaliers and expenses and don't blow the money on illegal immigrants issues and lawyers.Lawyers and Doctors are bandits together with politicians the legal system shold be paid with the cost of living cost and not to make a legal robbery charges.This applies to Medical and insurrances.
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by relaxSRH July 15, 2009 10:45 AM EDT
Tax and regulation is the way to go. We spend 77 billion a year to keep people from smoking and usage has gone up 4,000 percent since it was made illegal in 1937.
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by hionareef July 14, 2009 10:06 PM EDT
Let's pretend there is a field sobriety kit that tests for the actual THC that last about a day or so, and not the non-psychoactive metaboties that stay in our system for a month that our current urine test detect. Would more people be okay with legalization?

To be honest, when I read about traffic deaths, I never read "marijuana may had been a factor".
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by Realityman7 July 16, 2009 9:11 AM EDT
well this also my point how could you detect and evaluate DUI.The pot affect humane with 1 or 2 or 3 pots like to be "space out" and to drive on the road? unbelievable...
by hionareef August 6, 2009 7:13 AM EDT
Either your driving erradically or not. In 13 states, MJ patients do it all the time.
If there was a significant problem, you'd be sure you'd here about it here.
by scottportraits2 July 14, 2009 1:38 PM EDT
I think these polls are not really a good indicator of the mass opinion. You only ask stable middle class people, and miss all the foreclosed, minority, low income, and disenfranchised citizens. As if those people don't matter or count. I've never been asked by a survey or poll about anything, yet I've been a register active voter since the 1970s.

These polls are stilted.
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by Logicmarton July 14, 2009 1:17 AM EDT
CBS Poll = Complete Bull S*%# Poll
944 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone does not represent 306,908,238 Americans. Also they don't represent the Great Golden State of California who's people are more educated, brighter, creative, racially diverse and open to new ways of thinking than any other place on planet earth. It's no wonder that CBS has been losing viewer ship for many years they seem to have remained in an era of Harry Anslinger and box car racing wow! Hey here's a suggestion try reinventing CBS into the 21century then maybe you won't see a steady trend of reverse revenue streams.
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