The Washington Post published a pretty cool graph that looks at the overall history of public opinion on marijuana legalization. The graph shows that since the first efforts to legalize marijuana began in the 1960s, Americans have gradually become more accepting of lighter restrictions on the possession and use of the drug. Take a look for yourself!

Correlation between marijuana and crime?

A study conducted by PLOS One which looked at the crime rate across the country between 1990 and 2006 (a period where 11 states legalized medical marijuana), crime fell throughout the United States. So according to this study, there is NO evidence suggesting that the legalization of marijuana will lead to an increase in crime. This is a slap in the face to those opponents who believe that the legalization of marijuana in states will lead to the "gateway" of other, more serious drugs such as cocaine. The new study may be a great factor in causing opponents to change their mind or become more open to the idea of legalizing marijuana. What do you think?

Source: The Washington Post

Georgia Senate OKs medical marijuana

On Thursday March 20th, the Georgia Senate unanimously passed on a bill that approves for a limited use of medical marijuana. The bill will now head back to the House for extended negotiations. For Georgia citizens, whether you approve or disapprove, the state is taking another baby step towards the legalization of marijuana and there are no doubts about that.

While it may be from August of 2013, search on the PEW website, I found an extremely interesting study that revealed how skeptical Americans are about the actual value of enforcing marijuana laws. the study found that 72% of Americans, roughly three in every four Americans, believe that government efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they are worth. Furthermore, while there may be partisan differences over legalizing marijuana use and on whether smoking marijuana is morally wrong, there is general agreement across partisan and demographic groups that government enforcement of marijuana laws is not worth the cost. This study reveals the significant fact that no matter how people feel about marijuana and the use of it, the general consensus is that government should stop focusing so much on marijuana enforcement, allowing the public to probably sway towards are more open mindset towards the legalization of marijuana. 

Public perception grows warmer towards marijuana

In the most recent poll conducted by NBC News, the following question was asked: 

"Which of the following substances would you say is the MOST harmful to a person's overall health: tobacco, alcohol, sugar, or marijuana?" If all: "Now, if you had to choose just one, which substance would you say is the MOST harmful?" 

The options respondents were able to chose from were: tobacco, alcohol, sugar, marijuana, all, and unsure. Of the respondents, almost the majority (49%) found that tobacco was the most harmful substance. This was followed by the percentage of respondents that found alcohol (24%) and sugar (15%). As a result, marijuana was perceived as the least harmful substance with just 8% of respondents believing the drug was the most harmful of all options listed.

This poll was very fascinating to me. It really shows how our society has truly started to become open to the idea of marijuana. The fact that more people believe SUGAR is harmful than marijuana really blows my mind, and I definitely think policy makers should take the public's new stance on marijuana into account. 

Republicans' change of heart on marijuana legalization?

In the most recent poll conducted by CBS News, it was revealed that a majority of Republicans favored making marijuana legal. This may come as a shock to some as the Republican party has always been seen as more disapproving of the marijuana issue. At the same time, the number of Democrats who approve of marijuana legalization also decreased from the first time this poll was conducted in January of 2014. Although it is only by 1%, the decrease leads to many questions. What has caused the majority of a party known for its emphasis on traditions and conservatorship to change its views on illegal drugs? At the same time, what is happening that causes the Democrats to decrease their approval?

Georgia hops on the legal marijuana train...Kind of

As many may now know, on Monday March 3, lawmakers in the state of Georgia passed a bill in the house that made medical marijuana for seizures legal. The bill, introduced by Republican Allen Peake, passed with immense support (171-4) and will now go on to the Senate for approval. As Georgia makes its first baby steps toward legalizing marijuana, many wonder how long it will be until full out legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use will take place. Thoughts?

Marijuana legalization...no longer a partisan issue?

According to an article published on the New York Times on February 26th, many believe that marijuana legalization is no longer a partisan issue. AF year after Colorado and Washington made the use of marijuana legal, other states are following in their footsteps, even the strictly traditional and conservative ones in the South. For example, the states most likely to follow in Colorado and Washington's footsteps this following year are Oregon (a mostly Blue state) and Alaska (Red state). Furthermore, President Obama also recently released guidelines by the Treasury Department to help banks to work with the legal marijuana business more efficiently. The governor of Colorado recently told the press that the expected tax revenues of legal marijuana for the fiscal year would be $134 million, prompting other, financially unsuccessful states to greatly consider the legalization of marijuana.

While the issue of illegal drugs is very controversial and may not be agreed upon by all, it seems as if more people become open to the idea of marijuana legalization for medial purposes. According to a poll conducted by CBS News in January of 2014, a whopping 86% of people agreed with the statement, "Do you think doctors should be allowed to prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses, or not?" The same question only garnered 12% of responders who disagreed that this was okay. The fact that over 80% of the polled agreed to the idea of legal marijuana for medical purposes has many implications. It shows that even those who may just be against marijuana in general become more open minded if the drug is used in a beneficial way. What do you think?

Marijuana = higher approval ratings?

According to HUFFPOLLSTER, a recent poll revealed that Governor John Hickenlooper holds a very nice lead (52%) over his Republican challengers. The poll revealed that Coloradans gave Hickenlooper praises for being trustworthy, being a good leader, and understanding the needs of citizens. Many are questioning whether this soar in approval is due to the newly legalized marijuana laws in Colorado. Some argue that having marijuana on the ballot can entice certain voters who would never show up on election day otherwise. What do you think?
 

A Gallup poll issued at the end of 2012 revealed the revelation that Americans prefer that the federal government stay out of state marijuana laws. According to the poll, 64% of Americans are against the federal government's interference in states where marijuana is legal. This may be quite the pill for the federal government to swallow as the Controlled Substances Act (passed by Congress and binding) states that marijuana is illegal. In conclusion, the legalization of marijuana in certain states has exposed the challenges the federal government faces in its decision-making on how to handle state laws on marijuana use that may conflict with national laws. One must consider, what will happen if it is ever the case that all 50 states legalize the use of marijuana. How will the federal government exert its' power regarding drug use then? 

Super Bowl & Marijuana?

Since it IS Super Bowl Sunday, I found a lighthearted poll on Huffpollster that asked Coloradan participants whether or not they planned to watch the Super Bowl high. The poll found that only 8% of participants planned on smoking during the game. More interestingly though when asked if they would be bothered if the Denver Broncos smoked marijuana after the game, results showed that as age increased, so did the disapproval of smoking. For example, with adults 18 to 49, 78% said they would not be bothered while with adults ages 65+, only 45% said they would not be bothered.

Will Republicans Lose It All in 2014?

A very interesting poll conducted by HuffPost/YouGov asked participants if more states would allow the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage by the end of 2014. The poll found a large amount of support for both questions even though Republicans still stand firm on their beliefs regarding these issues. More specifically, the poll found that 64% of Americans expect more states to legalize marijuana by the end of the new year. What is intriguing to me and probably many is how the Republican party will respond to these issues that the public seems to be very supportive of.

Included below is an image of the poll.

**Note: The following poll may be an unrepresentative sample that includes bias as it is an internet poll. Thus, only citizens who are specifically interested in the topic may participate. 

Democrats vs. Republicans

According to a study done by the PEW Research Center in April of 2013, the majority of people living the United States now favor legalization of marijuana. More interestingly though, there is a huge gap in the percentage of support from Democrats vs. Republicans. According to the study, 59% of Democrats believe the use of marijuana should be legal, while only 37% of Republicans do! A large amount of Republicans compared to Democrats also believe that the use of marijuana is "morally wrong", with 47% of Republicans holding this belief vs. a mere 26% of Democrats that hold the same belief.

Bill O'Reilly vs. Mary Katherine Ham (a marijuana proponent) 

Majority for legalization?

According to a Gallup poll published in October of 2013, the majority of Americans, for the first time ever, believe that marijuana should be legalized. Although the legalization of marijuana has always been fought for, the push for legalization really started in the new millennia. Now, the urgency to make the drug legal has been even stronger due to Colorado and Washington who it 100% legal to use the drug for recreational uses.

When looking at the poll, one can see that there has been a huge increase in the number of Americans who believe the use of marijuana should be legal. For example, support for legalization skyrocketed from just 12% in 1969 to 58% in 2013. 

CNN Poll

According to Polling Report, the latest CNN poll regarding the legalization of marijuana found that the majority of adults nationwide find the legalization of marijuana acceptable. 

More interestingly, the majority of those surveyed believed that both alcohol and tobacco use have more dangerous consequences than the use of marijuana. 

Note: Sample size of 1,010 adults nationwide surveyed between January 3-5, 2014. 

Why Illegal Drugs?

Many may be wondering...why illegal drugs? Well there are many reasons. To begin with, marijuana and the legalization of it is something that has been on the minds of politicians and everyday citizens alike, which has allowed it to become a very hot topic in politics. Furthermore, I am genuinely interested in seeing how different states approach the idea of legalizing marijuana and how the public opinion will sway due to these various approaches. 

            VS 

Introduction

Hello everyone! It's Tammy here and the issue I will be focusing on this semester is illegal drugs, more specifically, the debate over the legalization of marijuana.