A new poll released on Monday shows 63 percent of adults support medical marijuana in their state.
As expected, the public diverges when asked about medical marijuana for adults and children. Currently, as found by the survey conducted by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, the 63 percent support is largely consistent with the fact that 23 states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana for medicinal use.
“Polling has shown for many years that the public supports medical marijuana,” Tom Angell, chairman of the Marijuana Majority, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Now that more states are actually legalizing marijuana, cannabis consumers are feeling more comfortable admitting who they are instead of hiding in the closet. That’s why you see more rallies and more people proudly embracing marijuana culture publicly these days. This trend — the increasing visibility of a real cannabis constituency that votes and participates in public life — will only lead to even more states enacting legalization. It’s hard to see how opponents can reverse our progress from here.”
That number suddenly drops when the question switches to whether medical marijuana should be accessible to teenagers and children under 18, with only 36 percent in agreement. The poll also found that 80 percent of adults think medical marijuana should not be legal for teenagers and children. Part of the reason why support drops about half for teenagers and children is that more research continues to be released on the affects the drug may have on brain and nervous system function.
In general, medical marijuana has surged forward in popular conscience, particularly over the last several years. Now, according to the poll, 10 percent of Americans either have a medical marijuana card or know someone who does.
“Most Americans view medical marijuana similarly to how they view other legitimate medications,” Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, told TheDCNF. “They believe it should be legal and available to those patients who can benefit from it. Marijuana poses far fewer and less severe side effects than not only most prescription drugs, but also alcohol and other legal products. Nearly half of the U.S. population resides in states that have legalized medical marijuana, and we expect to see another couple states pass these laws over the next year or two.”
The poll used a sample size of 2,176 adults, resulting in a margin of error of plus or minus 2-3 percentage points.
Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.