CBS News Poll: 56 Percent Of Americans Say Pot Should Be Legal -- An All-Time High
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Americans' support for legal marijuana use is at an all-time high, a recent CBS News poll found.
Fifty-six percent of the country is in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, the poll found. That's the highest level of support recorded so far by CBS News.
A slight majority of Americans – 51 percent – now say they've tried marijuana, up from 43 percent last year and 34 percent in 1997.
Fifty-two percent of Americans said they believe alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, while nine percent think marijuana is more dangerous.
A majority of Americans said that a presidential candidate using marijuana or supporting legalized marijuana would not make a difference in their vote.
Meanwhile, a major push in underway to make California the fourth state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana use two decades after medical marijuana was legalized.
Organizers of a recreational pot ballot measure told LA Weekly they are well on their way to getting the 365,880 signatures needed to put the issue before voters in November.
Their initiative, the Adult Use Of Marijuana Act, would allow adults over 21 years of age to legally possess as much as an ounce of weed.
Supporters include tech billionaire Sean Parker, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California NAACP.
A separate statewide marijuana legalization ballot measure failed in 2010. Since then, Washington, Colorado and Oregon have legalized recreational pot.