On Friday, a nationwide poll commissioned by the prohibitionist lobbying group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) underscored America’s growing displeasure with our existing federal marijuana policy.
Queried by Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, the SAM-backed survey found a majority of Americans overwhelmingly support a more tolerant federal marijuana policy.
The poll asked fundamental questions of 1,000 registered voters between Jan. 10 and Jan. 13.
Which one of the following best describes your preference on national marijuana policy?
- Keep the current policy
- Keep the current policy, but legalize the use of marijuana for physician-supervised medical use
- Decriminalize marijuana use by removing the possibility of jail time for possession and also allowing for medical marijuana, but keep the sale of marijuana illegal.
- Legalize the commercial production, use and sale of marijuana for recreational use, as they have done recently in several states.
Decisively more popular than President Trump or his embattled Attorney General, 83 percent of the poll’s respondents believe the federal prohibition of marijuana should be tossed on the mounting heap of failed drug policy in America.
Of the 1,000 answers provided during the January survey, only 16 percent felt the current policy of prohibition should remain in place. Conversely, 29 percent backed medical marijuana legalization, 5 percent supported decriminalization, and 49 percent want full-blown legalization.
Roger Stone, a past political advisor of President Trump, offered some sage advice to the besieged president over the weekend via Youtube.
“If Jeff Sessions is allowed to continue as Attorney General and run a crackdown on state legalized marijuana, Trump is going to lose. This is a very popular position (legalization) in the country. People overwhelmingly support medicinal marijuana, it’s inconsistent with the president’s position in the campaign, he made a solemn pledge to protect the access of millions of Americans to medicinal marijuana and now his Attorney General is fucking it up. Jeff Sessions has got to go!”
Main photo courtesy of Allie Beckett
