A record number of Americans support the legalizing and taxing marijuana, according to Rasmussen Reports. Their nationwide survey found that 47 percent of Americans agree that marijuana should be legalized, while 42 percent disagree. Ten percent are undecided.
The survey was conducted on March 24-25.
In October 2011, Gallup also found that Americans favor marijuana legalization now more than ever. A record-high 50 percent of Americans said the use of marijuana should be made legal, up 4 percent from last year and 14 percent from 2006.
“If this current trend on legalizing marijuana continues, pressure may build to bring the nation’s laws into compliance with the people’s wishes,” Gallup noted.
Perhaps a sign that marijuana legalization is becoming mainstream, conservative televangelist Pat Robertson surprised the nation earlier this month when he said the drug should be legal and regulated like alcohol.
Residents of Colorado and Washington state will have the opportunity this November to legalize the possession of marijuana for recreational use.
Both states, however, could be on a collision course with the federal government. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug: the most restrictive classification reserved for dangerous drugs with no real medical value.
Sixteen states, including Colorado and Washington, have legalized the use of medical marijuana.
