Marijuana Use Is Gaining Respectability In The U.S.

The image at left (from the website highroulette.com) is true, but it is not the image most Americans have had of marijuana users in the past. For decades, marijuana users were seen as either counter-culture hippies or criminals -- people to be looked down on by other Americans. But that is changing fast.

That was when Americans were still fooled by the government into believing marijuana was a dangerous drug. But now most people don't see marijuana that way. They know it is one of the safest and most natural drugs known to man (far safer than other drugs it is legal to buy in this country -- like alcohol, tobacco, pain medications, cold medications, etc.).

I wrote a few days ago about a Pew research Center survey that verified this. It showed that 69% of Americans thought marijuana was less dangerous than alcohol for an individual, and 63% thought alcohol was more dangerous to society than marijuana.

Now there is a new poll that shows marijuana use is not looked down on like it used to be. According to a new YouGov Poll, 59% of Americans think a marijuana user can be a responsible adult, while 53% doesn't think marijuana use would make it harder to be a responsible adult -- and a plurality of 45% believe current marijuana users are responsible adults. This represent a significant change in the attitudes of Americans toward marijuana users.

It probably also accounts for the majority (54%) in the country that now believes marijuana possession and use should be legalized. Note that only one group (the Silent Generation) is still opposed to marijuana legalization -- while Baby Boomers (52%), Generation X (53%), and the Millennials (69%) are in favor of legalization. As the Silent Generation dies off, and are replaced by younger people, that percentage favoring legalization is sure to climb. The survey defined the generations as follows:

Silent Generation (born before 1946)
Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1965)
Generation X (born between 1966 and 1980)
Millennials (born after 1980)

The pie charts were made from info in a YouGov Poll.

The bar chart was made from info from the Pew Research Center.