Post: Topic: Legalizing marijuana

Cannabis buds are shown to a customer at a dispensary in Desert Hot Springs, California, on Jan. 1, 2018 – the day recreational marijuana sales became legal in the state. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images) Background

Under federal law, using or possessing marijuana is illegal in the United States. Even so, most states allow the use of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes, or both.

Public support for legalizing marijuana has increased over the last two decades. But the level of support differs depending on whether the public is thinking about medical use of marijuana or recreational use. Public opinion polling says …

Pew Research Center conducted a survey of U.S. adults in January 2024 to find out what Americans think about this issue. Here’s what we found. 57% say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use.

32% say it should be legal only for medical use.

11% say it should not be legal at all.

How views differ by age

Across age groups, young adults are the most likely to say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use. Among those ages 18 to 29, 71% say this. But even among adults 65 and older, a very small share (14%) say marijuana should not be legal at all. Older age groups are more likely than younger groups to say it should be legal only for medical use. Public views on the impact of legalizing marijuana

We also asked Americans how legalizing recreational marijuana affects different parts of society. The public has mixed views about this. Local economies: 52% say that when marijuana is legal for recreational use, it’s good for local economies. Another 17% say this is bad for local economies, and 29% say it has no impact. Criminal justice: 42% say making marijuana legal makes the criminal justice system more fair, 18% say it makes it less fair and 38% say it has no impact. Community safety: 34% say making marijuana legal makes communities less safe, 21% say it makes communities more safe and 44% say it has no impact. Use of other drugs: 29% […]

Topic: Legalizing marijuana