logo

Voters Think Pot is Safer than Alcohol, But Who Will Legalize It Next?

image
Created: 21 July, 2015
Updated: 21 November, 2022
1 min read

While a majority of Americans - 52 percent - now favor weed legalization, the federal government has done very little to act on the changing views of the nation. Many states, however, have taken matters into their own hands, passing legislation to better represent the changing attitudes of their residents.

Today, 4 states - Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Alaska - plus our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, 24 states have legalized medical marijuana, and a number of states have decriminalized possession of the once-taboo drug.

Public polling from across the nation shows that a growing number of voters favor legalization in their state, a trend visualized by the Washington Post based on a variety of public opinion polls:

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 2.22.44 PM

This aligns with a recent Gallup poll which finds that more Americans feel threatened by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol than those impaired by marijuana. Just 29% of respondents said that people driving while impaired by marijuana is a "very serious" problem, whereas an overwhelming majority - 79% - viewed driving while impaired by alcohol as a "very serious" problem.

If more Americans believe marijuana to be less dangerous than alcohol, a substance that is legal and fully available to those over the age of 21, what state will be next to legalize it?

Washington Post writer Christopher Ingraham explains: "Since late 2012, marijuana legalization questions have been asked in at least 38 states. In 26 of those states, majorities supported legalization. In another 5 states, there wasn't majority support for or opposition against legalization -- results were very close, in other words. And in 7 states, majorities opposed legalization."

Of those 38 states, the states closest to full legalization in 2016 are: California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, and Arizona, according to TIME.

What are your predictions for 2016?

IVP Existence Banner

Latest articles

Harry Kresky
Harry Kresky: An Independent Hero
The independent reform movement has lost a champion, but his work is sure to live on. Harry Kresky, ...
18 March, 2024
-
2 min read
Krist Novoselic
Smells Like Independent Spirit: Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and the Fight for Better Elections
Former presidential candidate and co-founder of the Forward Party Andrew Yang sat down with Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic, who went from changing the status quo in music to bringing that independent spirit to the political arena and the fight for better elections....
18 March, 2024
-
1 min read
vote
It's Time to Let All Voters Vote in South Dakota's Taxpayer-Funded Primaries
Unfortunately, the upcoming 2024 South Dakota primary election promises more of the same for our state....
15 March, 2024
-
5 min read
TikTok
TikTok Has No Place in the Two-Party Duopoly
The US House of Representatives voted 352-65 Wednesday in favor of a bill (HR 7521) that would ban TikTok, a social media app used by approximately 170 million Americans, if Chinese tech company ByteDance refuses to divest from it....
13 March, 2024
-
7 min read
make every vote count
Report: 6-in-10 New Voters Register Unaffiliated in States that Suppress Independent Voters
Mounting research continues to show the real truth behind independent voter suppression in several states across the US....
12 March, 2024
-
3 min read
voter at polls
17% More Votes Count Under Ranked Choice Voting, Study Finds
A new study analyzing all single-winner ranked choice voting (RCV) elections since 2004 reveals a significant increase in meaningful votes and representation in elections under RCV....
12 March, 2024
-
2 min read