Most Americans now live in a legal marijuana state – and most have at least one dispensary in their county
74% of Americans live in a state where marijuana is legal for either recreational or medical use.
9 facts about Americans and marijuana
88% of Americans say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use. Just 11% say the drug should not be legal in any form.
Most Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana for Medical, Recreational Use
Americans largely favor legalization of the drug, including 57% who say it should be legal for both medical and recreational use.
Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use
With more states authorizing the use of marijuana, the public continues to favor legalizing it for medical and recreational purposes.
Clear majorities of Black Americans favor marijuana legalization, easing of criminal penalties
57% of Black adults say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use by adults; 28% say it should be legal for medical use only.
Religious Americans are less likely to endorse legal marijuana for recreational use
U.S. adults who are affiliated with a religion are less likely than religiously unaffiliated adults to support broadly legal marijuana.
Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology
Pew Research Center’s political typology provides a roadmap to today’s fractured political landscape. It organizes the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values. Even in a polarized era, the 2021 survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions.
Four-in-ten U.S. drug arrests in 2018 were for marijuana offenses – mostly possession
Police officers in the United States still make more arrests for marijuana offenses than for any other drug, according to FBI data.
Two-thirds of Americans support marijuana legalization
Two-thirds of Americans say marijuana use should be legal, reflecting a steady increase over the past decade.
U.S. has changed in key ways in the past decade, from tech use to demographics
Among the changes: Smartphones and social media became the norm, church attendance fell, and same-sex marriage and legalizing marijuana gained support.
