Continuing this discussion, The Pew Research Center has updated poll numbers regarding marijuana use:
A slim majority (53%) of Americans say the drug should be made legal, compared with 44% who want it to be illegal. Opinions have changed drastically since 1969, when Gallup first asked the question and found that just 12% favored legalizing marijuana use. Much of the change in opinion has occurred over the past few years — support rose 11 points between 2010 and 2013 (although it has remained relatively unchanged since then).
There is much more to this article, as PRC breaks down the numbers by cohort and heritage.
This, and by extension the War on Drugs, may become a major issue in the upcoming election. A simple question at a debate: do you support legalization of marijuana? It may become one of the pivotal questions of the election, particularly if news organizations choose to publicize important figures concerning incarceration of marijuana users and distributors. Data on arrests through 2012 is available on DrugWarFacts.org:
Year – Marijuana % of Total Drug Arrests Marijuana Manufacturing & Sale % of Total Drug Arrests Marijuana Possession % of Total Drug Arrests 2012 48.3% <5.9% 42.4%
US Arrests As Reported By FBI UCR Program Year Total Arrests Total Drug Arrests Total Marijuana Arrests Marijuana Trafficking/Sale Arrests Marijuana Possession Arrests Total Violent Crime Arrests Total Property Crime Arrests 2012 12,196,959 1,552,432 749,825 91,593 658,231 521,196 1,646,212
Or about 6% of arrests are pot related in 2012, if I do my math right.
