cannabisnews.com: Half in U.S. Support Legalizing Marijuana Use
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Half in U.S. Support Legalizing Marijuana Use
Posted by CN Staff on October 18, 2011 at 08:40:11 PT
By Reuters
Source: Reuters
USA -- Half of Americans now support legalizing marijuana use, a record level, amid growing support for decriminalization that could build pressure to eventually change U.S. laws on the drug, a Gallup poll showed on Monday.The poll showed that support was highest among liberals and adults under age 30, with more than 60 percent of respondents in those categories favoring legalization. Support was lowest, at just 31 percent, among Americans over age 65.
"Support for legalizing marijuana has been increasing over the past several years, rising to 50 percent today, the highest on record," a summary of the poll said. Another 46 percent said marijuana should remain illegal."If this current trend on legalizing marijuana continues, pressure may build to bring the nation's laws into compliance with the people's wishes," the summary added.Gallup said support for legalization had crept up from just 12 percent in 1969 to 30 percent in 2000 and 40 percent in 2009. Last year, a Gallup survey found 70 percent of Americans favored making it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana to relieve pain and suffering.California in 1996 became the first state to decriminalize medical marijuana, and a number of other U.S. states have followed suit with their own statutes. Cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic under federal law.A separate national survey released last month showed that marijuana was increasingly becoming the drug of choice among young adults in the United States, with nearly seven percent of Americans aged 12 and older having used marijuana in 2010.The Gallup poll released on Monday showed that Democrats, at 57 percent, were more likely to support legalization than Republicans, only 35 percent of whom favored such a move. Men, at 55 percent, were also more likely to back legalization than women, at 46 percent.By geography, more than half of Americans in the West, Midwest and East supported legalization while in the South, 44 percent favored such a move.The poll was based on telephone interviews conducted October 6-9 with a random sample of 1,005 adults across the country. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.Source: Reuters (Wire)Published: October 18, 2011Copyright: 2011 Thomson ReutersCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #20 posted by afterburner on October 19, 2011 at 12:42:00 PT
Canis420 #19
Drug peace: I second that emotion!
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Comment #19 posted by Canis420 on October 19, 2011 at 11:23:33 PT:
good article
in forbes magazinehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2011/10/17/its-time-to-declare-peace-in-the-war-against-drugs/
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Comment #18 posted by paul armentano on October 19, 2011 at 10:44:34 PT
My latest op/ed: today in The Hill
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/lawmaker-news/188485-more-americans-support-legalizing-marijuana-than-oppose-itMore Americans support legalizing marijuana than oppose itBy Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML and co-author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?   - 10/19/11 11:52 AM ETMore Americans now support the notion of legalizing marijuana than oppose it. That was the conclusion of a new nationwide Gallup poll, released on Monday.
 While the result may come as a surprise to some, it shouldn’t. The public’s growing support for marijuana law reform has been constant and consistent. Says the polling firm: “When Gallup first asked about legalizing marijuana, in 1969, 12 percent of Americans favored it. … Support remained in the mid-20s … from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, but has crept up since, passing 30 percent in 2000 and 40 percent in 2009 before reaching the 50 percent level in this year's … survey.”
 In fact, since 2005, public support for legalizing cannabis has grown among every single demographic polled. That’s right, today a greater percentage of Americans of every age, political ideology, and from every region of the country back marijuana law reform than did just six years ago.Among the startling statistics:
 * Fifty-four percent of mid-western voters now support legalizing marijuana, up 22 percent from 2005. On the west coast, 55 percent of respondents back reform, an increase of 15 percent. 
 * Sixty-two percent of those aged 18 to 29 and 56 percent of those aged 30 to 49 endorse legalization, a jump of 23 percent and 17 percent respectively.
 * Among both Democrat and Independent voters, 57 percent favor legalizing cannabis, an increase of 16 percent and 11 percent respectively.
 Support for ending the criminal prohibition of cannabis is also rising among demographics traditionally opposed to legalization. For instance, support among GOP voters has risen 14 percent since 2005. Support among self-identified Conservative voters is up 10 percent. In the southern United States, there has been a nine percent jump in overall support. Finally, among those aged 50 to 64, support for legalization has risen 12 percent, and among those age 65 and older – the demographic least likely to back marijuana law reform – support has grown four percent.
 Gallup pollsters analyzed the data and concluded the obvious, “If this current trend on legalizing marijuana continues, pressure may build to bring the nation's laws into compliance with the people's wishes.”
 Of course, public pressure has been building for some time now. Since 1996, 16 states and the District of Columbia have initiated statewide laws to allow for the limited legal use of marijuana when recommended by a physician. Laws are also changing in regards to the broader use of cannabis. In fact, in 2011, four states – Arkansas, California, Connecticut, and Kentucky – enacted new laws significantly lowering the penalties for marijuana use and possession. In California and Connecticut, lawmakers took the dramatic step of making such activities non-criminal offenses.
 Nonetheless, federal officials don’t yet seem to be hearing the public’s message – even when it is made clear to them on the White House’s own ‘We the People’ website. In fact, in recent months, the Obama Administration has acted in opposition to voters’ sentiments, stepping up efforts to sanction marijuana consumers, distributors, and providers – including those who are acting in compliance with the laws of their state. But the Administration’s failure to heed public opinion is a gross political miscalculation.
 Rather than rebuff the public's calls for cannabis policy reform, the Administration ought to be embracing it. After all, many of the same voters that put Obama in the White House, including a whopping 69 percent of self-described Liberals, also support marijuana liberalization by a wide margin. Ostracizing this base does not bode well for Obama’s re-election chances.
 The bottom line: marijuana law reform should no longer be viewed by federal legislators as a political liability. For those lawmakers willing to advocate for common-sense reforms, this issue represents a unique political opportunity. The public is ready for change; in fact, they are demanding it. Lawmakers can either get with the program, or suffer the consequences.
 Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of NORML and he is the co-author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
http://www.norml.org
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on October 19, 2011 at 10:24:08 PT
BGreen
That was excellent. We normally watch his show but missed it last night.
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Comment #16 posted by BGreen on October 19, 2011 at 08:21:04 PT
Thanks, dongenero
I did a search and that's the link I came up with. I don't have an Apple, just a Lemon, so I didn't know it would fail to work on another computer.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #15 posted by dongenero on October 19, 2011 at 08:03:23 PT
Lawrence O'Donnell link alternate
Another link for the Lawrence O'Donnell piece in case bing is not playing nice with your Apple hardware.What a wonderful statement. Thank you Mr. O'Donnell!http://www.drugwarrant.com/2011/10/lawrence-odonnell-on-legalization/comment-page-1/#comment-93077
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Comment #14 posted by BGreen on October 19, 2011 at 07:34:46 PT
You've got to watch this video
I was floored when I saw this last night on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. I can't believe how strongly for us Lawrence is. Most commentators just make jokes about us but Lawrence came to bat for us and hit a home run.The Reverend Bud GreenThe Last Word:  Rewriting legalization of marijuanahttp://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/rewriting-legalization-of-marijuana/6za073f
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Comment #13 posted by CropReport on October 19, 2011 at 06:40:34 PT
This means...
that the topic of cannabis law reform has more support than ANY GOP hopeful or Obama.Meanwhile the Colorado ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol (21 and over) has reached 85,000 signatures as of yesterday. We have until month end to collect sigs to put it to a vote of the people. We need 86,000.The people ARE leading and government will have no choice but to follow. -Crop
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Comment #12 posted by Tim on October 19, 2011 at 06:27:01 PT:
Learn from history...
Remember the Soviet Union? Definition of Soviet - (in the Soviet Union). 
a.(before the revolution) any governmental council.
b.(after the revolution) a local council, originally elected only by manual workers, with certain powers of local administration.
c.(after the revolution) a higher council elected by a local council, being part of a hierarchy of soviets culminating in the Supreme Soviet.
2.any similar council or assembly connected with a socialistic governmental system elsewhere.It seems to me that America is headed that way... People (workers) elect representatives (local council with powers of administration) who make higher elections/decisions. For the people, by the people...?
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Comment #11 posted by Storm Crow on October 19, 2011 at 06:26:55 PT
You got that right, Runruff!
We have to redouble our efforts to educate everyone, especially the seniors who could benefit the most from legalization! I watched a little old lady in her 80s totter up to the drug store counter and plunk down over $400 for medications! I couldn't help wonder how many of them could have been replaced by adding a few cannabis plants among her roses? Was she, like many seniors, being forced to choose between food, electricity and medicine? This is becoming more common as their budgets tighten! And in my eyes, it is a crying shame that this is happening, when a solution- replacing many of the expensive pharmaceuticals with a growable herbal medicine, cannabis- is so simple! 
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Comment #10 posted by runruff on October 19, 2011 at 05:50:01 PT
The fed?
The more they push, the more behinder they get. Their solution; double down,or triple down, with more of the same. Yes they are the very deffinition of insanity. If we recognize insanity and wish to pretend it is normal, what are we? If we recognize insanity and try to correct it, what are we?The fed is becoming a tiny little island of NO surrounded by a sea of YES!Don't look away!
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 19, 2011 at 05:14:01 PT
Canis420
I'm sorry they didn't mention it but Brian Williams did. NBC News as far as I know is the most watched nightly news so at least Brian did.I have to take my dogs out and watch them because of this article. Why aren't they shooting them with a tranquilizer guns instead of killing them?***Animals Loose in Ohio: Town Under Lockdownhttp://abcnews.go.com/US/animals-loose-ohio-town-lockdown/story?id=14767017
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Comment #8 posted by Canis420 on October 18, 2011 at 22:51:27 PT:
# 7
I watched CBS nightly news tonight and they did not mention it
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 18, 2011 at 15:59:43 PT
Just On NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams!
Finally seeing the legalization poll on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams means a lot! Most people watch the Nightly News compared to 24 hour cable news channels I believe.
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on October 18, 2011 at 13:18:34 PT
And it keeps getting better
The Feds take one step back and we take 3 steps forward. Federal government actions are part of the reason support is increasing.We should thank the feds. The next time an activist sees a fed government prohibitionist, be extra sure to thank them. I don't know if we could be making the great progress that we are with out their help.And in 1 year, Colorado's and California's chance to legalize the God-given plant will increase by a another point or 2. 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 18, 2011 at 12:01:16 PT
The Tide Really Is Turning!
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YisPgRoSsRA
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on October 18, 2011 at 11:00:56 PT
Here we are.
Seems like we ought to plant a flag or something.This is good to see.
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Comment #3 posted by Commonsense on October 18, 2011 at 10:14:05 PT
This is really big!
Gallup is a respected pollster and they've been doing this poll since the 1970s. If you go to their website you can see more specifics on this poll along with a graph with the history of results from this specific question. Support is on the rise and fast. Now we need to see more respected polls coming out with majority support so that the powers that be can see that this is not an anomoly. I firmly believe that it is not Big Pharma, Big Alcohol, Big Oil or big anything that has been keeping marijuana illegal in this country. It's the fact that only a small minority of the people have wanted to legalize it until recently. There has been no real threat of legalization for Big Anybody to spend the money to fight against it. It wasn't going to happen because the suport among the people and their elected representatives wasn't there. Now we're finally seeing majority support among the people. It's a slim majority and still older Americans are opposed. Only 31% of those over 65 were for legalization and only 49% of those 50 to 64 were for it. Politicians won't all be jumping on the bandwagon for legalization with this one poll that still shows majority oppostion among those who actually tend to exercise their right to vote, but this is big and it will be huge if we see more polls coming in with similar or better results. As support among the people climbs, support among their elected representatives, the lawmakers, will follow suit. 
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on October 18, 2011 at 09:53:00 PT
dongenero #1- Speaking of the People Leading
W?SB! - David Suzuki Interviewed at Occupy Montreal.
WhySimplyBecause
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUTDxUicSmo&feature=player_embeddedRenowned Canadian Genetics scientist speaks out about OccupyWallStreet and reclaiming our democracy, which has been hijacked by the Corporate agenda.
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Comment #1 posted by dongenero on October 18, 2011 at 09:09:20 PT
50% + support legalization
But then again, we have a Constitution that should clearly protect the freedom of our choosing cannabis, regardless of the tyranny the former majority has wrongly brought upon us for decades.Don't blink. That tyranny is not sustainable any longer.
It cannot be afforded, financially or socially. And people are too engaged in what is going on, to allow it to continue.Let the People lead.
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