Poll Shows That Most In U.S. Want Their State Legalized

Cannabis first became prohibited at the federal level in the United States in 1937. Complete prohibition was in place in the U.S. in all states until 1996 when California became the first state to legalize cannabis for medical use.

Since that time, every state except two (Idaho and Nebraska) have legalized cannabis for medical use, and an ever-growing list of states have legalized cannabis for adult use. Cannabis is also completely legal in Washington D.C.

Now, over 40% of U.S. residents live in a state/district where cannabis is completely legal. However, cannabis still remains illegal at the federal level.

A recent poll by CBS found that a majority of U.S. residents want their states to legalize cannabis for adult use, as outlined in a news release by our friends at NORML which can be found below:

The majority of US adults support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in their states, according to nationwide polling data compiled by CBS News.

Fifty-five percent of respondents say that they want to see legalization in their home states. Among those already residing in legal states, 60 percent said that they favor the policy change.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents also favor expunging the criminal records of those with past marijuana convictions.

Few of those polled acknowledged being regular consumers of cannabis, and this decision appeared to be largely unaffected by the plant’s legal status. Seven percent of respondents residing in legal states reporting using cannabis versus five percent of those surveyed in jurisdictions where its recreational use remains illegal.

The CBS poll is the latest in a series of recent national polls showing that most Americans believe that the possession and use of marijuana by adults should be legally permitted.