NEW YORK — A record high 60 percent of Americans support legalization of marijuana, according to a Gallup poll released three weeks before voters in nine states decide whether to expand legal access to pot.
When Gallup first asked about this issue in 1969, 12 percent of Americans supported legalization. By 2000, support had increased to 31 percent and has continued climbing since then, reaching 58 percent last year.
Recreational use of marijuana is currently legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington state and the District of Columbia. Depending on the Election Day outcome, they could be joined by Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada.
Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota will be deciding whether to permit medical marijuana.
According to Gallup’s poll, released on Wednesday, 67 percent of Democrats support legalization, compared to 42 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of independents. Support among adults aged 18-34 was 77 percent, compared to 45 percent among those over 55.
The poll was based on telephone interviews conducted Oct. 5-9 with a sample of 1,017 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
