Poll: Public supports medical marijuana, but not full pot legalization

iStockphoto

According a recent CBS News poll conducted at the end of October, a slim majority of 51 percent continues to think that marijuana use should be illegal. But support for specifically allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for serious medical conditions - or legalized "medical" marijuana - is far stronger: 77 percent Americans think it should be allowed.

Still, even though most Americans support this, just three in 10 believe that the marijuana currently being bought in this country under state-authorized medical marijuana programs is being used in the way it has been authorized: for alleviating suffering from serious medical conditions.

Legalizing Marijuana

A recent CBS News Poll conducted nationwide finds 40 percent of Americans think the use of marijuana should be legal, while 51 percent think it should not. The percentage that favors legalizing marijuana use has been steady for the past two years, but it is larger than it was when CBS News first asked the question back in 1979.

CBS News Poll

Not all demographic groups view this issue the same, however:

CBS News Poll

Medical Marijuana

CBS News Poll

While a slight majority of Americans oppose the idea of legalizing marijuana in general, more than three in four think that doctors should be allowed to prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses - the conditions for use that are set up in all of the states that have legalized medical marijuana programs. Support for this cuts across age, gender, region, and political affiliation.

But Americans are skeptical that most of the marijuana purchased in the U.S. through state authorized medical marijuana programs is being used in the way it has been sanctioned. Just 31 percent of Americans think marijuana purchased under such programs is being used to alleviate suffering from serious medical illnesses. More than half - 52 percent - think it is being used for other reasons, including four in 10 of those who think marijuana should be legal in general.

Read the complete poll (PDF)
Search the CBS News poll database
CBSNews.com special report: Marijuana Nation

[Meaf0]

I have noticed Politicians, and for that matter the uneducated population, still hold on to that idiotic statement that "there is no research showing a medical benefit to smoked cannabis". Idiots, then reclassify cannabis and we will ingest an extract orally! A recent letter from Cong Todd Platts (Pa) to me, actually quoted the before mentioned quote and then proceeded to tout Marinol as a legal alternative. All histrionics aside, why should we buy a product from Big Pharma who grinds up the herb, creates a synthetic cannabinoil, combines it with gelatin glycerin, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, and titanium dioxide. All this to insure that wealthy investors become more wealthy on the backs of suffering patients.

Quite frankly, I have come to the conclusion that they can go screw themselves. I'm dying from a neurodegenerative disease called Multiple System Atrophy. Published research indicates a treatment of CBD to THC could be effective in slowing/stopping my disease. So, be my guest and arrest me, place me in prison in my wheelchair and pay the astronomical medical bills looming in my future.

[llonewwolf]

WE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS CALIFORNIA NOW !!!!!!??????!!!!!!!
Legalize I don't understand the problem.
USPeople taxes pay for illegal drugs to be grown in other countries.
That's why they have to keep it legal outside the US but not in the US.
Then taxes pay to create a department to find people in other countries.
To agree to grow USCrops on their fields of drugs we will go to jail for having.
That's how it works USGov pays other countries to do things with them against us.
What part of the USPeople's deficit did that come from?
Right now they are adding on the street other drugs to marijuana so it can not be legal for street marijuana.
And at the same time they are talking about messing with medical marijuana's chemistry to stop forgetfulness.
Why do they always have to change things and then tell us to be happy with what we have.
They are never happy with what they have they always have to adjust things.
Marijuana was good enough in the 1300's and it is good enough now.
Stop playin games making life so dificult for people.
They cause depression and most of USPeople's problems.
I want a figure on how much USPeople's money has been spent in other countries on crops of any kind.
Did the USPeople know that the reason they don't have jobs is most of the jobs were taken out of this country.
When the G20 took all large industry out of the US and before that set up the youth of other countries with jobs.
I guess the USPeople were done raising industries for other countries and took them home.
Now we are starting over again with the youth of other countries living here taking jobs, benifits, ect...

First of all I dont exspect a country that has been lying to us since the beginning of time to tell us the truth of anything. So I will my research. First of all no hospitals will except you if you have a marijuana addition. Because they say it not additive and refuse you since the stste funding was stopped for it. And it is cures for 28 reasons and used to be medicine in the 1300's. Perscribed medicine. Congress called it more dangerous them heroine. That's how the Congress has it charted. To keep the money being made for them. And keep it illegal here and legal in other countries. So they can pay other countries with our money to grow it there that's why it has to stay legal in other countries but not this one. Except certain places. Noe if we have not taken it off of California then it should be legal in the US now. And not just for medical use. It cures you of blood disorders of all kinds from AID's to Lukemia weather a doctor is perscribing it or not. It would cure people better then doctors. And makes big money. That is the truth of why the Congress will not make it legal around the US. Every time a dealer makes money he is in a round about way making money for the Congress. It comes from other countries and into the distributers that brings it to the US to be sold. Paid for by our taxes but illegal for USPeople to have and grow. What a busisness. Whose deficit does this come from? We dont have terrorists in other countries we have drug growers for our politicians to make their money and kill to keep business going.Why are they allowed to use USPeoples Tax Paying money to pay other countries to grow and bring illegal drugs into this country for USPeople to go to jail for. Perhaps it was legal to make the people want it and then take it from them from the beginning. So who is the Terrorist?

[joey8686]

If anything marijuana should be legalized and alcohol should be made illegal. I believe that hard core drugs like cocain, meth, heroin, etc, should all stay illegal, but marijuana is not a "hard core" drug. Alcohol is much worse than marijuana and we have legalized it. Here's some facts to support my statement.

There are hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths each year, yet there has never been a marijuana overdose death in history.

-Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and is associated with multiple adverse health consequences, including liver cirrhosis, various cancers, unintentional injuries, and violence.

-Almost half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related.
(20 percent of alcohol-related traffic deaths involve blood alcohol concentration levels below .10 percent.)

-In 1991, a subway motorman was drinking just before his shift and derailed a train carrying hundreds of passengers, kill five and injuring more than two hundred.

-If an alcoholic suddenly withdraws from alcohol, he or she may suffer delirium tremens. D.T.s sometimes end in death.

-Many people who apparently die from overdoses of sleeping pills (barbiturates), actually die from a combination of alcohol and the medication.

-One quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides, and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol related.

-Between 48 and 64 percent of people who die in fires have blood alcohol levels indicating intoxication.

-Alcohol is abused by some 14 million Americans and contributes to the deaths of 100,000 each year.

-According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 65 percent of fatal drunk-driving deaths involve drivers whose blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .15 or higher.

-The risk of hemorrhagic stroke is three times higher among heavy drinkers.

-Very large amounts of alcohol (such as a quart if drunk in five to thirty minutes) may occasionally cause death by anesthetizing the brain center that controls breathing.

-About 20 percent of those people who commit suicide are alcohol abusers, according to the National Mental Health Association.

-About 20 percent of suicide victims are alcoholics.

-Alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship. Cannabis reduces likelihood of violence during intoxication... Source: Hoaken, Peter N.S., Sherry H. Stewart. Journal of Addictive Behaviors. 28, pages 1533-1554. Drugs of abuse and the elicitation of human aggressive behavior. Dept. of Psychology, University of Western Ontario. Dept. of of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University.

There are some physical health risks, particularly the possibility of damage to the airways in cannabis smokers. Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for 'recreational' purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug. Source: Iversen, Leslie. Current Opinion in Pharmacology. Volume 5, Issue 1, February 2005, Pages 69-72. Long-term effects of exposure to cannabis. University of Oxford, Department of Pharmacology.

The latest and most comprehensive research on marijuana has concluded that it does not contribute to the development of lung cancer. Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR200605...

There has never been a documented case of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker, and recent studies find that marijuana use is not associated with any type of cancer. The same cannot be said for alcohol, which has been found to contribute to a variety of long-term negative health effects, including cancers and cirrhosis of the liver.

[douxs]

1 joint equals 1 pack of cigarettes.

[medicalprof2]

It most certainly is not under normal circumstances. The only significantly damaging components of a joint happen to be the pesticides used in maintaining the plant. Truly pure cannibis is less than 10% as damaging as tobacco per unit. Any conservative with his/her head in his/her ass who tells you otherwise is misinformed as is just here to make money off the prison business. Which, by the way, even a conservative estimate puts the legalization and taxation of pot sales at a federal profit of nearly $200 billion a year. Also, you can get concentrated therapeutic CBD, which is the main medicinal component of cannibis, without the THX. Either way, it would be far less damaging to legalize pot than it was to let the tobacco lobbyists run congress during the 90s.

[joey8686]

There has never been a documented case of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker.

[magnumdr]

Pot is a mind altering drug. Some people who use this drug might think that the pain has gone away but in reality it is all in their minds and they can hurt themselves even worse while on the pot!

[Herne42]

I'd like to remind everyone that this is just a CNN poll. The number of supporters for legalization (round 2) is actually much higher...no pun intended.
Oil/plastics/fuel,superior building materials,new medicines, jail space for violent offenders.
The reasons for legalization GREATLY outweigh any reason for prohibition.
Ending the federal prohibition of Marijuana could potentially lead to the creation of MILLIONS of jobs.
Those running programs on the war on drugs, are lairs and hypocrites.
Since 1936 we've been lied to. And all the while the U.S. Government has been growing fields, raping the American people and raking in billions for themselves. (I've personally talked to farmers that were paid to keep quiet.)
I want my fair share...that is all... we the people have every right to take back a piece of mother nature for our own profits.
P.S. for anyone who wants to cringe...read those trials from 1936.(pertaining to Marijuana prohibition)
(the ignorance and racism is shocking.)

[CalCannaLabs]

We can no longer afford not to legalize and tax. Prohibition has failed for too long.

[thesummerhigh]

By making medical marijuana legal in all states, citizens would be able to legally use marijuana, whether they pay for it from a dealer or get it from a dispensary. Medical Marijuana is actually effective and a completely understandable drug to use for many different medical situations. By making medical marijuana legal in all states, the people trying to attain the drug would need a medical reason to get it. There are many ways to get this card, and there are many people that could be helped if it was made legal in each state.

[malcolmkyle]

An appeal to all Prohibitionists:

Most of us are aware by now that individuals who use illegal drugs are going to get high, 'no matter what.' So why do you not prefer they acquire them in stores that check IDs and pay taxes? Gifting the market in narcotics to ruthless criminals, foreign terrorists and corrupt law enforcement officials is seriously compromising our future. If you remotely believe that people will one day quit using any of these 'at present' illegal drugs, then you are exhibiting a degree of naivety parallel only with those poor wretches who voluntarily drank the poisoned Kool-Aid in Jonestown.

Even if you cannot stand the thought of people using drugs, there is absolutely nothing you, or any government, can do to stop them. We have spent 40 years and over a trillion dollars on this dangerous farce. Practically everybody is now aware that Prohibition will not suddenly and miraculously start showing different results. So why do you wish to continue with it? Do you actually think you may have something to lose If we were to start basing drug policy on science & logic instead of ignorance, hate and lies?

Maybe you're a police officer, a prison guard or a local politician. Possibly you're scared of losing employment, overtime-pay, the many kick-backs and those regular fat bribes. But what good will any of that do you once our society has followed Mexico over the dystopian abyss of dismembered bodies, vats of acid and marauding thugs carrying gold-plated AK-47s with leopard-skinned gunstocks?

Kindly allow us to forgo the next level of your sycophantic prohibition-engendered mayhem.

Prohibition Prevents Regulation : Legalize, Regulate and Tax!

[watkinsjr2000]

I would have to agree with the majority of people in this poll. I don't think that marijuana should be legalized for recreational use, but there are certain situations where there is a legitimate medical use for the drug.

If someone is dying from cancer,for instance,& drugs currently on the market to control their nausea aren't working for them, an MD should have the ability to prescribe marijuana if they think it will alleviate that patients suffering. Physicians can already prescribe many more potent drugs than pot to patients if they so choose.The decision to exclude marijuana from being an RX available for a physician to prescribe if indicated is not one that's based on medical science.

But, as I stated earlier I strongly oppose legalizing pot for recreational use. It has a lot more harmful side effects than most people realize. This is not an innocuous drug.Using it greatly increases the risk of someone having a catastrophic cardiovascular event (such as a stroke or a heart attack). It can also raise a person's BP to dangerous levels & cause liver problems (along with quite a list of other bad things). And, smoking it does carry the same carcinogenic risks that cigarettes do.Legalizing the stuff would doubtlessly increase traffic fatalities due to more people driving stoned. It would also make pot easier for young kids to get.For these reasons(and others) I think it would be a serious mistake to make marijuana a legal recreational drug.

[dgmeansit]

I hear and understand your concerns. However, as a user for 40 years now, I have to tell you that at age 55, I'm still very healthy. My parents and grandparents all had cancer. I'm still 100% cancer free. All of them had shown signs of cancer by the time they reached my age. I can't say with certain that it is because of my cannabis usage. But what I can say with certainty is that it has not done any serious harm to me. I enjoy the way I feel after using cannabis and believe with all my heart that if I'm going to have a vice, then better this than alcohol or heroin or cocaine or oxycontin or tobacco or etc... I've made a relatively safe choice and should not have to fear the law because of it!

[Bardenesis]

Then I would also assume you'd want to see alcohol and nicotine criminalized for recreational use as well. Your logic is that dangerous drugs should be made illegal. Since alcohol can cause death not only from overdose, but also from addictive withdrawl, it is far more dangerous than marijuana and should be illegal under your argument. Nicotine has been shown to be as addictive as heroin and we know for a fact that it is toxic and carcinogenic. Again, this drug is more dangerous than marijuana. Under your argument, it should be made illegal. Do you agree?