New Poll Shows Republicans Are The Party Poopers When It Comes To Legal Weed
Support for marijuana legalization in the US is higher than ever (no pun intended).
According to a new poll from Pew Research Center, a solid majority of Americans are all about legalizing, with only a few demographics remaining opposed.
Around 57 percent of US adults favor legalization, while 37 percent believe it should be illegal.
A decade ago, 60 percent of Americans opposed legalization, while just 32 percent favored it.
Indeed, America's position on pot has clearly changed a great deal in recent years, and it's now legal in four states and the District of Columbia.
Virtually every group in the US now supports making weed legal nationwide.
When you break things down by age group, for example, a majority of Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers support legalization.
The only age group where a majority oppose legalization is the Silent Generation -- people between the ages of 71 to 88.
This isn't all that surprising when you consider the fact marijuana wasn't really a widely popular substance until people in the Baby Boomer generation were teenagers amid the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s.
Simply put, you can hardly blame the oldest generation for being against legalization when weed wasn't as popular during their youth and they grew up constantly being fed anti-marijuana propaganda, such as the infamous film "Reefer Madness."
A majority of white and black people support legalization (59 percent, respectively), while Hispanic people are more split on the issue -- 46 percent favor legalization, 49 percent are opposed.
But when you break thinks down by political affiliation, only one group really sticks out: Republicans.
A strong majority of Democrats (66 percent) and Independents (63 percent) favor legalization, while a majority of Republicans (55 percent) oppose it.
When it comes to the movement for legal weed, it's safe to say Republicans are slowing down the train.
With that said, neither of the presidential candidates for either major party support marijuana legalization.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton supports reclassifying marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2, so it's no longer classified alongside substances like heroin.
While she's also expressed support for further research on medical marijuana, she won't go as far as supporting legalization.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seems to open to the idea that medical marijuana can be beneficial, but opposes legalization and has suggested it should be left up to the states.
In terms of the 2016 election, marijuana is hardly a central issue.
But five states -- California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada -- are set to vote on legalizing marijuana in November.
According to The Atlantic, recent polls show the "yes" vote is winning in all five states.
At this rate, it seems it's only a matter of time before pot is legal in all 50 states.
Citations: Support for marijuana legalization continues to rise (Pew Research Center)
