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

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[senorlou]

I got my medical MJ card over two years ago. Since then I have quit taking Benzodiazepines daily, quit smoking cigarettes, and lost 20 lbs because I can go to the gym. I also sleep like a baby. No reefer madness here. Americans are finally coming to their senses.

[jacobomorales]

Legalize it and move the enforcement resources to more dangerous drugs.

[stargazer13]

lets go one step further why don,t we and use that left over money to house the homeless in our country

[canobserv]

or give everyone an education......of course if we did that the Republicans would completly dissolve

[TryToBeFlexible]

I don't smoke marijuana. I think it should be illegal. I don't want to see any friends or family that do smoke pot put in jail. It is just not that big a deal that people's lives should be ruined by horrendous government intrusion, with no real reason.

[Mikeeee]

This is not a criticism, but asking for clarification. Are you for or against legalizing it?

[max08]

You haven't taken one step to investigating the medical benefits of marijuana; how it is antitumor and how President Ford suppressed the NIH. Start here.

The Greatest Story Never Told by Fred Gardner
http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner05032008.html

U.S. GOVERNMENT REPRESSED MARIJUANA-TUMOR RESEARCH
Alternet - May 31, 2000 ( #22 )Title: - Pot Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew in '74 [13]
http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap1B/Censorship.htm

Pot Shrinks Tumors - Government Knew in '74
http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/cancer/THC_cancer_mar_2001.htm

Study Explains How Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells
http://www.marijuana.com/drug-war-headline-news/117049-gbr-study-explains-how-cannabis-kills-
cancer-cells.html

[stargazer13]

and lets not for get

when Ronald became president he destroyed a lot of scientific reports on marijuana

because you can,t have facts like these floating around when your conducting a war on drugs

[Grunty1]

I don't smoke anything, but I have friends that smoke marijuana, friends that drink, and friends that smoke cigarettes.

Truth be told, I'd much rather be around my friends after they have smoked pot than either of the other two...

[tabaqui]

Don't *stop* with legalizing marijuana - legalize hemp, as well. Industrial and commercial hemp could get America out of the economic slump we're in, as well as kick-starting a ton of green industries *and* decreasing our dependence on 'dirty' energy.

Hemp - the plant that could very well save us!

[mofmars333]

You're so right. I listened to a tape from the library a while back that explained in detail the benefits of hemp. It was called "Conversation With God"

It wasn't a religious thing so much as it was realistic & common sense. It was narrated by two movie stars. I think they were Betty White & Ed Asner if I remember correctly.

I couldn't believe Obama put down the idea that our economy could be helped by legalizing the plants that could boost our economy & save our natural resources.

See this movie & learn the truth. The Hemp Revolution>>>
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3070358204716119824

[mofmars333]

Here's part 2 of The Hemp Revolution. It was a little hard to find>>>

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8376961766517588127&hl=pt-PT

[b1rd67]

The reason that marijuana was made illegal in the first place was to protect the Dupont patent for maufacturing paper. Hemp is cheaper, far more renewable and makes far better quality paper than the Dupont process that uses wood so the crooked corporations called in all of the politicians they owned and went after the entire hemp family to protect their monopoly. DuPont, Hearst, Mellon...who says we don't have "royal families" in the US. We need a 90% estate tax with no loopholes.... either that or bring out the guillotines!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_marijuana_in_the_United_States#DuPont.2C_William_Randolph_Hearst.2C_and_hemp

[Grunty1]

If marijuana is legalized, there is no reason at all the hemp won't be legalized at the same time.

[Archontruth]

While I'm in favor of legalization, that right there is what's known as a leading question. They didn't just ask "Do you want to legalize pot", they asked "In light of all the wonderful benefits that could be gained, wouldn't it make sense to legalize pot?"

[TheBlackCat]

agreed.

[b1rd67]

It's called a push poll :) Let's push harder!

[PUAAN]

According to the article, the poll was commissioned "by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report". Presumably, the people who commission the poll think up the question. The pollster (Zogby) just asks it.

[northsongs]

I'm leaning a bit more toward 'illegalizing' the government!

[Malkin71]

I always ask this question...and I still have never gotten one decent answer.

Explain why pot should be illegal while alcohol is legal?

You don't get to use the accidents of history as an argument for precedent, by the way.

Those people who argue for continuing to jail people to SAVE them, let's hear what you got....

[Pimpinnati]

The answer is GREED.

Those who stand to lose large profits by legalization have the ability to lobby to keep it illegal.(Prescription drug & Alcohol companies)

[Malkin71]

Wait, I also forgot to mention....every time I ask this....I do get a bunch of answer from people who agree with me, I get it....

I REALLY REALLY want to hear from the few people I have seen here who want to keep it illegal....

[Xochitl666]

You'd lose a lot of "Clients" for the prison industry as well.

[TheBlackCat]

I'm no Ashton Kutcher fan, but he did say something on this subject once that I found very true. The question was, "Why do so many people want alcohol to be legal and not pot?"

Answer: Because we drink wine in Church.

[AGarcia]

Don't forget the hemp! The poor hemp plant has been demonized alongside it's druggie brother plant and all the while hemp could be used for everything from clothes to paper, food, even natural gas. I'm sure there are even more uses but those are first ones off the top of my head. Now, back to your "I just like to get high" debate..

[bigironal25]

Because Michigan has finally passed a medical marijuana law, I applied for and received my card to grow and use pot to help with my chronic pain that is a direct result of over 40 years of industrial construction because I was addicted to the 6 Extra strength Lortab that I took every day for the past 4 years! I quit the Lortab, cold turkey, and if not for my doctor, I would still be hooked on a "legal" pain killer and now that I'm growing and smoking pot, rather than ingesting the VERY toxic Lortab, not only do I feel better, I don't have to worry about a synthetic poison to control my pain!Hooray to the smart folks in Michigan, for passing this important LAW!PS- For those who think that this law opened the flood gates for a pot smoking frenzy..... sorry folks, but When I asked my doctor if there was a rush to receive the pot card, he informed me that out of all his patients ,I was the only one who applied for and received a medical pot card!Bottom line is this- Not only does pot work, it won't ruin your liver, like synthetic drugs are known to do!

[Mikeeee]

You've explained precisely why it's illegal.
If people ever start using it on a regular basis, it's going to cost the pharma industry huge amounts of money and we can't have happy healthy people walking around when there's money to be made, now can we?
Won't be having side effects to be treated with more drugs, won't be having guys coming home from the bar and beating the wife and kids, won't have....it's a long list of won't haves when you start using a naturally occurring plant.

[rushislame]

EXACTLY why we need to reform healthcare... PROFIT driven healthcare has been the root of all the healthcare problems for years. There is no reason why the healthcare industry should be a profit generating institution. Then maybe we could actually weigh our options based on Americans health and not on how much money can we make by scamming our citizens.

To say that pot is a gateway drug is ridiculous considering alcohol is legal...

[Pimpinnati]

The ball keeps rolling on this issue. As long as we keep seeing main stream media outlets pushing legalization stories then we can keep this issue in the forefront.

[chiriqui]

Yes it legalize it, but this is going to open a can of worms that may be just as difficult to deal with. I don't believe a government can effectively regulate a drug because this is not the domain of the government. You need social structures like a strong family and community cohesion to act as the regulator and we as a society today just don't have that in our character. American society is really a mess, simply too fragmented to deal with socially acceptable character development.

[charlot]

Do you not realize that alcohol is a drug and is regulated by the government? What about pharmaceuticals?

[NedroidPrime]

Some people only see that it is illegal, and have this scary picture in their heads of what it is...

[formerprosecutor]

I would like to see a poll (with this same methodology) about alcohol. I would bet a higher number of people think alcohol is far more harmful to the individual and society.

[ChumpChicken]

Legalize it !

[msjimmied]

The gift wrapped up in this economic crisis is the focus on what we did wrong in the last so many years...we are now discussing what is wrong with the financial system, the government, our own profligate ways with easy capital.

Sitting here around our virtual kitchen table, we agree we need health care reform, curbs on the influence of the banking sector, better infrastructure, jobs! stricter EPA guidelines. We also agree we do not need to do dumb things like treating marijuana like evil incarnate and spending good money ruining people's lives with imprisonment over it. Grow it. Package it. Market it. There will be jobs created on every stage of its journey to happier people.

I'd give Arnold high marks for publicly saying there needs to be more dialogue. Legalize it now.

[me4you]

Growing up I often found it much easier to get pot (not leagal) than alcohol (legal and regulated) that should be enough for any parent to think about!

[ldavis24]

agreed, in high school it was far easier to get weed than booze. The only way to get alcohol was to have a friend with an older sibling or fake ID.