While bills to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes -- sponsored by Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, and Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation -- are stalled in the Florida Legislature, a new survey finds a majority of Americans for the first time in history favor marijuana legalization.
The poll released Thursday from the Pew Research Center shows 52 percent of Americans favor marijuana legalization, while 45 percent oppose it. Pew and Gallup have been polling the subject since 1969 when only a sliver of respondents -- 12 percent -- supported it. But, its favorables have picked up quickly in a few short years. In 2010, for example, 50 percent of Americans were opposed while 45 percent were in support.
The Pew survey finds that 48 percent of Americans admit to using marijuana and 12 percent have used it in the last year. A slight majority -- 51 percent -- have never tried marijuana.
The Age Factor
Younger Americans are increasingly supportive of legalizing marijuana. Almost two-thirds -- 65 percent -- of voters born since 1980 are in favor. Back in a 2008 Pew poll, only 36 percent of Americans born since 1980 supported legalization.
But, the older the generation gets, the more support dwindles. More than half of Americans born between 1965 and 1980 -- 54 percent -- say they favor marijuana legalization while 50 percent of baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1965) support it. But, less than a third of voters born before 1945 -- 32 percent -- favor it.
Baby boomers have been on a virtual roller coaster when it comes to their views on the subject. As Pew points out, "Half of boomers now favor legalizing marijuana, among the highest percentages ever. In 1978, 47 percent of boomers favored legalizing marijuana, but support plummeted during the 1980s, reaching a low of 17 percent in 1990. Since 1994, however, the percentage of boomers favoring marijuana legalization has doubled, from 24 percent to 50 percent."
Partisan Divide
There is a clear partisan divide oncannabislegalization. Independents and Democrats are on board, but Republicans are far less willing to get on the bus. While 60 percent of independents and 59 percent of Democrats support legalization, only 37 percent of Republicans say yes. However, strong majorities from all parties believe the federal government should not enforce marijuana laws in states where use is permitted. Interestingly, Americans from all political persuasions agree that enforcing marijuana laws costs more than they are worth.
While the poll is most likely too little too late to help the bills filed by Clemens and Edwards pass in the 2013 legislative session, the issue of medical marijuana use is not going away and could shape the 2014 election cycle. Prominent trial attorney and Democrat fundraiser John Morgan is leading efforts to place a state constitutional amendment on the November 2014 ballot. In Florida, a supermajority -- 60 percent -- of voters needs to approve state constitutional amendments. Former Gov. Charlie Crist, the ex-Republican who is expected to enter the gubernatorial race as a Democrat, works for Morgans law firm.
Pew polled 1,501 American adults from March 13-17. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News.
