For the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue, a majority of Americans favor legalizing the use of marijuana. A national survey finds that 52% say that the use of marijuana should be made legal while 45% say it should not. Support for legalizing marijuana has risen 11 points since 2010...Text and graph from the Pew Research Center, where there is a lot more analysis and breakdown of the numbers, via The Dish.
Fully 65% of Millennials –born since 1980 and now between 18 and 32 – favor legalizing the use of marijuana, up from just 36% in 2008. Yet there also has been a striking change in long-term attitudes among older generations, particularly Baby Boomers. Half (50%) of Boomers now favor legalizing marijuana, among the highest percentages ever...
The survey finds that an increasing percentage of Americans say they have tried marijuana. Overall, 48% say they have ever tried marijuana, up from 38% a decade ago. Roughly half in all age groups, except for those 65 and older, say they have tried marijuana...
As support for marijuana legalization has grown, there has been a decline in the percentage viewing it as a “gateway drug.” Currently, just 38% agree that “for most people the use of marijuana leads to the use of hard drugs.” In 1977, 60% said its use led to the use of hard drugs...
Addendum:
All police have arrest quotas and often they can earn much-desired overtime pay by making a marijuana arrest toward the end of a shift. In New York City, arresting people for petty offenses for overtime pay is called “collars for dollars.” Every cop in the city knows that expression. From the officers’ point of view, people possessing marijuana are highly desirable arrestees. As one veteran lieutenant said, people whose only crime is marijuana possession are “clean,” meaning physically clean. Unlike junkies or winos, people arrested for marijuana don’t have HIV, hepatitis, or even body lice. They are unlikely to throw up on the officer or in the police car or van. Frequently they are on the way to a party or a date, and if they have smoked a little, they may be relaxed and amiable.
At least some of those arrested for possession no doubt did not steal to support a habit but spent their own hard-earned dollars on a little recreational pot. When our local Texas newspaper runs the police blotter one can see a disparity between crimes committed (burglary, theft, robbery) and arrests made (possession of small amounts of marijuana). We could weed out the real criminals if we took everyone off the vice squad and set them after thieves.
ReplyDeleteYes, but that requires *work*. Pot busts are low-hanging fruit to fill quotas without having to get your hands dirty. Many police officers are like employees in any other job. They just want to get paid with the least amount of effort required. The only way to minimize that is to change the laws to make either the low-hanging fruit crimes no longer a crime and/or that these crimes no longer count for things such as quotas (which are supposed to be illegal anyway, but exist). Probably a combination of both. I'm not going to hold my breath.
DeleteIt's demographics. Look how closely the support for marijuana legalization tracks support for marriage equality:
ReplyDeletehttp://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/04/marriage-equalitymarijuana-legalization.php
I just can't support it, based on what I have seen in the family of my oldest daughter. Marijuana use caused great harm and what appears to be permanent damage. I think the penalties should be changed depending on usage, Federal law should be changed to permit scientific research, and I thoroughly understand all the problems related to Prohibition, but I just can't get past the evidence of my eyes.
ReplyDeleteIronic that the majority should finally come to support pot's legalization only after it's potency has increased so substantially.
ReplyDeleteWe've all done grass -- and we all found out that we had been lied to by everyone about it. It is not a "gateway drug," it is not a "killer drug" -- it's more like liquor except you don't throw up on your shoes and you don't lose your temper and get into fights. Grass is innocuous and it's laughable that it's been illegal this long. Once they legalize it I'll be able to quit taking Oxycontin, Paxil and Ambien. It'll save me a lot of money on prescriptions.
ReplyDeleteNot all of us have done marijuana. I haven't.
DeleteBut my principle is that consenting adults should be able to do what they want with their own property--which includes their bodies. Legalize marijuana.
Show me some data showing that legalization causes less demand/Use what have you.
ReplyDeleteLegal >>> Decreased usage.... Good
Legal >>> Increased usage..... Bad
@ Barbwire, I'm truly sorry about your bad experience with marijuana in your family. But you have to agree that many many more families have been destroyed over the abuse of alcohol (this is personally my experience). Every drug has the potential to be abused. But it's hard to argue that a drug that normally calms people and hasn't had a single overdose death in history should remain illegal. Good people are going to jail for victimless crimes. We need to tax/regulate and focus on real criminals.
ReplyDelete@Minnesotan, how about a post about the holy anointing oil? I think a lot of prohibition folks would be surprised that the ingredient "kenneh bosem", was most likely cannabis. It calls for several pounds to be used!
"people whose only crime is marijuana possession are “clean,” meaning physically clean. Unlike junkies or winos, people arrested for marijuana don’t have HIV, hepatitis, or even body lice. They are unlikely to throw up on the officer or in the police car or van. Frequently they are on the way to a party or a date, and if they have smoked a little, they may be relaxed and amiable". quick arrest that clean guy! He's a danger to society!
ReplyDelete