Majority Of Americans Want Pot Legalized: Zogby Poll

A majority of Americans, in a poll released Wednesday, say it "makes sense to tax and regulate" marijuana. The Zogby poll, commissioned by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report, surveyed 3,937 voters and found 52 percent in favor of legalization. Only 37 percent opposed.

A previous ABC News/Washington Post poll found 46 percent in support. In California, a Field Poll found 56 percent backing legalization.

Responding to the poll at a press conference Tuesday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for an open debate on legalization.

Voters were asked: "Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government's effort to legalize marijuana?"

Ryan Grim is the author of the forthcoming book This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America

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Comments

[TheInsurgent]

10:14 PM on 05/19/2009

Of course marijuana should be legal! The issue we need to discuss is why has it been illegal for so long and why is America now willing to discuss legalization. I find it sickening that when the corporate / investor class cries for help Washington will legalization. The poor and disenfranchised have lived with death and destruction of communities (resulting from the criminalization of drugs) for decades; their pleas fall on deaf ears.
You can also check out my opinion at: http://insurgentperspective.blogspot.com

[Legaleyes]

01:01 AM on 05/19/2009

It being illegal will not stop any of the users from continuing to use; they will just be able to do it without being criticized and buy it legally. It being illegal just means its harder to obtain and means users will pay a lot more. This money will keep going to drug dealers, who control the price, and this money could be for our economy. Users will have more money in general to spend on other goods to strengthen the economy. It will continue to go on and it being a crime cost money and it not being sold and taxed is losing money. It can be used responsibly everyone has just been brainwashed since it is illegal that it is bad when it should be used to let people relax and not having to go to the streets but the store as it should be.

[katmeyster]

01:06 PM on 05/09/2009

It's about money and power.

We need to understand the forces that do not want to legalize marijuana. If you legalize marijuana (or any other drug for that matter) you will change the economy. For rational people, that makes sense: we tax and regulate the farming and selling of pot, and provide a lot more money for treatment and education. But for those who believe in making prison contractors wealthy, and keeping the prison industrial complex in place, for those who want to militarize our society and our borders because it keeps them in control and wealthy, they do not want less drug use, and they do not want less crime. We are just wholesale throwing away minorities, inner cities, and the poor to this "war on drugs." This serves the wealthy thugs who want to keep things the way they are. The ethics of drug use just diverts our attention from this real truth.

[JamesRWII]

11:58 AM on 05/08/2009

Legalize it all. It is time to rethink our drug policies in this country. Criminalizing drugs prevents people from seeking help when they need it causing untold suffering and social damage that is completely preventable with a policy of open honest dialog between our government and it's citizens without the fear of incarceration or persecution. It is truly an evil thing to imprison a human being and that punishment should be reserved for the truly evil.

[ab390yes]

11:12 AM on 05/08/2009

To all Californians who want marijuana legalized, regulated, and taxed like alcohol:

[Malkin71]

05:54 PM on 05/07/2009

I'll try this again, please don't answer me if you agree that pot should be legalized, I'm aware of all the arguments for it.

I want to hear from one of the people who like to continue to put people in jail (to SAVE them) for using pot.

What is the argument for keeping pot illegal while alcohol is legal? Historical accident is not an argument, by the way...

[Tulka2]

05:03 PM on 05/07/2009

The history of prohibition of any substance is the loss of a culture of common sense about that substance. For instance, by the time booze prohibition was lifted, the people didn't believe a damn thing authorities told them anymore. In Europe, for example, common wisdom for centuries has said pregnant women should not drink. They don't have to make laws about it. We are just getting back up to speed about booze common sense.

Before pot prohibition and even as late as the 1960s, people who smoked pot didn't mix it with booze. That mixture is a different drug together than either one alone. Many a wholesome hippie didn't drink. Drinking was for straight people. Only later in the 1970s with the advent of disco did that get forgotten. I do not want someone stoned on booze and pot coming at me behind headlights. There is no common sense about this anymore and i blame prohibition.

[Coinyer101]

02:16 PM on 05/07/2009

Holder is a hawk on marijuana laws. Obama thinks it's a joke. jebus-freaks think everyone will turn into de vils if they smoke it, and the elitist upper class is happy that marijuana laws draw attention away from their coke, and bla ck ops need it to fund their 'itinerary'.
there are a lot of people who don't use, but, also don't care that others do use, but, the issue is not important enough to them to do much, except maybe wait for a vote to come up in their state. The best thing to do is be a patriot, and keep disobeying illegal laws that violate individual freedoms. and instead of donating to Presidential Campaigns that sell hope and change, we need to make change happen by supporting groups like NORML and LEAP, and people like Norm Stamper.

[Tulka2]

05:34 PM on 05/07/2009

Can't i support all the progressive movements i want to? I know you will say "yes" if you think about it.

Everything else you say, i will back, plus... I think it's important to look at the history of pot prohibition and note that prohibition has always tried to stranggle progressive movement. The elites noted pot as first a drug of black and brown people, but only began to step on its use when white progressives began to mingle with the underclass. The elites know perfectly well that pot is a drug of the left. In every small town, the cops know who the lefties are and they also know they can go pick them up anytime those lefties began to push where it really matters. Pot prohibition has had the literal effect of quashing dissent. Over the generations, pot users have got a reputaion of being passive. Well, i guess. It's perfectly understandable.

[Coinyer101]

06:03 PM on 05/07/2009

of course you can. I do.

[dnbst7]

02:08 PM on 05/07/2009

Unfortunately, the key word here is probably "regulate". I think the results are probably misleading. I'm sure a large portion of those polled believe "regulate" means, "keep it illegal". The word can mean different things to different people. Most simple polls show that the public is opposed to legalization.

[Coinyer101]

02:18 PM on 05/07/2009

whatever. believe what you want.

[j.gold]

01:36 PM on 05/07/2009

Legalize it all.

Stop criminalizing a social problem.

The laws don't stop people from using drugs, they just stop them from getting help.

Convicting drug users breaks up families and teaches them to be criminals.

Prohibition of drugs puts the sale of drugs into the hands of teenagers and causes gang violence.

Lets help people not brand them forever with a prison record.

Besides, if drugs like heroin were legal tomorrow would you pick up the needle? Very few people would and the ones that would would most likely be picking it up whether legal or not.

[j0em0mma]

01:10 PM on 05/07/2009

Prohibition turns the government into criminals and turns the criminals into wealthy power-brokers. Legalize it. Now.

[inaminit]

01:07 PM on 05/07/2009

". . . while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs."

Are these people insane? Where do they come up with this twisted 'logic'? I say stop imprisoning non-violent crimes. Imprisoning non-violent criminals, and non-criminals, hurts our society more than it helps it.

[TheBlackCat]

02:11 PM on 05/07/2009

The Netherlands, where I used to live, obviously is the only nation where weed has been completely decriminalized and is sold openly.

Their use of hard drugs is 1/3 that of the United States. Use of marijuana by minors is also far below the US and the UK, according to the British Journal of Medicine.

It's not that pot LEADS to hard drugs. It's just that if you're the kind of person who's going to try meth, you've probably tried everything softer already- i.e. smoking, alcohol, and weed.

It's like kissing. I've kissed a ton of guys in my life, but I've only slept with two, one being my husband. Kissing someone doesn't make you have sex with someone. But if you've had sex, you've probably kissed that person.

[PUAAN]

07:02 PM on 05/07/2009

I love the kissing analogy! I've also read, on some blog or other, the milk analogy: Virtually every person who becomes addicted to hard drugs drank milk earlier in their lives, ergo, milk is a gateway drug.

[Malkin71]

01:05 PM on 05/07/2009

A DUI is really attempted murder.

Pot possession is treated harsher under the law than DUI.

[SimplyBkuz]

02:27 PM on 05/07/2009

That's disgusting. I have zero sympathy for ANYONE who gets a DUI. I don't care if you only had a few drinks or whatever the excuse is. I've been smoking pot for @20 years and NOT ONCE have I ever gotten behind the wheel when stoned. People shouldn't drive under the influence of ANY drug.

[TheFobster]

12:59 PM on 05/07/2009

MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGALIZED, TAXED, AND REGULATED.

There's no reason we should treat marijuana users as criminals. Addiction should be treated as a medical issue, period the end.

[Genep34]

12:34 PM on 05/07/2009

Finally some sanity