Rasmussen Poll Finds More Than Half Of America Now Supports Legalizing Marijuana

So much for thinking that drug legalization was a lightning-rod issue that no mainstream politician could ever support without facing major backlash.

A new poll from Rasmussen reports that “a solid majority of voters nationwide favor legalizing and regulating marijuana similar to the way alcohol and tobacco cigarettes are currently regulated.”

That “solid majority” constitutes 56% of the Likely Voters polled by Rasmussen. 36% of Americans are opposed to legalizing and regulating.

As Reason points out, that’s up nine percentage points from March 2012, when Rasmussen last found that “47% [of Americans] now believe the country should legalize and tax marijuana in order to help solve the nation’s fiscal problems. Forty-two percent (42%) disagree, while 10% are undecided.”

You might recall that in October 2011 we reported that a Gallup poll also found that 50 percent of Americans thought marijuana should be legal, and 46 percent wanted it illegal.

Perhaps it’s becoming safer to say that supporting marijuana legalization is no longer something that can ruin a mainstream politician’s electoral chances.

So here’s hoping President Obama “evolves” on marijuana legalization soon. Or maybe notorious drug warrior VP Joe Biden will come out in favor of it next time he appears on Meet the Press? Fat chance, but one can dream.

(H/T Law Enforcement Against Prohibition)

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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