61 percent of Americans in favour of legalizing marijuana
53 percent of Americans say they have used marijuana, while 44 percent admit using marijuana regularly, a Yahoo/Marist poll shows.
In the telephone survey on 1,122 Americans, two-thirds of the respondents said opioid drugs such as Vicodin or OxyContin are ”riskier” to use than pot, even when the pain pills are prescribed by a doctor.
Only one in five said marijuana was riskier than opioids.
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Among the Americans who answered the poll, 83 percent said marijuana should be legal nationally for medical treatment, while 70 percent said it is not acceptable for pregnant women to use marijuana to reduce nausea or pain.
On a separate poll conducted by CBS News, 61 percent of Americans were in favor of legalizing marijuana, the highest percentage in the 38 years since the news company is conducting the poll.
The company first started asking the question in 1979, at which point just 27 per cent said they were in favor of legalization.
The polls were released during a White House announcement that said police will enforce federal marijuana laws – which still lists marijuana as an illegal substance – when they conflict with states where recreational use of the drug is permitted.
According to the CBS poll, opposition for federal interference with marijuana legalization is high regardless of political views: Republicans at 63 percent, Democrats at 76 percent and Independents at 72 percent.
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