Majority Of Americans Want Marijuana Legalized, Per New Poll

By Chris Walker, Truthout

A new poll demonstrates that a majority of Americans believe that marijuana should be fully legalized, while only a small portion of the country thinks that the drug should remain illegal on the federal level.

Recreational use of cannabis is currently legal in 19 states. However, many states still have laws banning the drug’s use, and the federal government still lists cannabis as a Schedule I drug, in spite of President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to remove it from that list.

Recreational cannabis was a $15 billion industry last year in the states where it was legal, showcasing that it could be an economic boom for the entirety of the country. But beyond the economic benefits, the legalization of marijuana would mean the lessening of unnecessary drug convictions, which steal years of people’s lives and tear families apart; such convictions especially impact people of color, who are disproportionately targeted by police in the enforcement of drug laws.