Is There Public Support For Marijuana Legalization?

First Published August 10, 2022

As a result, these outdated treaty rules frequently conflict with member states’ ambitions to legalize cannabis for recreational use in this time. But is there sufficient public support for marijuana legalization? This piece will lay out important facts in order to make an informed assessment. 

A similar trend can be observed in Germany. On November 29, 2021, the German Website Augsburger Allgemeine published the results of a survey conducted by the opinion research institute known as Civey. As for marijuana legalization in that country, there is roughly an even split of 43% for and against with 14% undecided. However, legalization is more positively viewed by the younger generation. About two-thirds of those between 18 and 29 years old are in support. Though illegal for recreational use, controlled release of cannabis is under consideration by Germany’s Federal Drug Commissioner. An approach similar to what obtains in Canada seems to be favored. 

Governments Under Pressure to Remove Marijuana Restrictions

Private smoking clubs are recognized in Spain, but it is still technically illegal to sell even a joint. The government is under pressure to fully legalize medicinal cannabis and regulate recreational marijuana. Similarly, many in the Netherlands are concerned that their country is no longer at the forefront of legislation on cannabis due to push back in recent years from a conservative government. Even though smoking pot is tolerated in coffee shops, the cultivation of the crop is still illegal there. This situation prompted the mayor of the city of Heerlen to declare that his municipality wants to grow its own cannabis.

In the countries of India and Nepal, marijuana remains illegal officially, but is widely tolerated, especially for use in rituals. Meanwhile, a few African countries are reviewing the legal status of weed. In particular, activists in South Africa successfully argued in the constitutional court that it was unconstitutional to prohibit the personal use and cultivation of cannabis by adults in private spaces.

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Marijuana Going Mainstream

A Procon.org report shows that despite the fact that about 600,000 people in the United States are arrested for marijuana possession each year, it is estimated that more than 50% of the adult population have experimented with the drug. That is in excess of 128 million people. It is expected that the number of arrests will fall as more states legalize marijuana for adult use. 

Currently (2022), roughly half of the populace reside in states where marijuana use by adults is legal and these figures are on an upward trend. Interestingly, research by Headset Data which was published online on January 31, 2022, revealed that while both men and women have bought more cannabis since 2020, sales to females show a higher rate of increase. Sales to men increased by 49%, but for women the increase was 55%.

In the world of business, Amazon, which is one of the largest employers in the US, announced that it would lobby for cannabis to be legalized at the federal level. Further to that, in June 2021, the company announced that marijuana would be excluded from the pre-employment drug screening program for unregulated positions. Surely, other corporations will follow suit.

Also, we must never overlook the fact that enforcement of marijuana laws is accompanied by racism. Even though black and white Americans use marijuana at a similar rate, “Blacks” are arrested at a disproportionately higher rate. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), catalogues a number of reports highlighting this fact. 

Economic Benefits: Based on returns in recent years, the economic benefits of legal marijuana are creating a buzz. Legalization has already generated billions of dollars for cities and states. Equally important are the hundreds of thousands of jobs created. Public support for marijuana legalization is certainly evident, but in the end, money does rule. Money will likely be the motivating factor that pushes many governments to change course on the status of the plant. They know the tide is turning! 

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References:

Jakob Stadler and Michael Stifter. Translated Headline: Germans are divided on the subject of cannabis legalization. Augsburger Allgemeine. Nov. 29 2021. (Published in German). Retrieved 18 May 2022 from
https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/special/bayern-monitor/umfrage-deutsche-sind-beim-thema-cannabis-legalisierung-zwiegespalten-id61136236.html

Ted Van Green. “Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use.” Pew Research Center. April 16, 2021.
Retrieved 16 May 2022 from
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/16/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-recreational-or-medical-use/

“Exploring cannabis consumer trends & demographics in 2021.” Headset Data. January 31, 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022 from
https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/exploring-cannabis-consumer-trends-demographics-in-2021

“Racial Disparity In Marijuana Arrests.” NORML. Retrieved 19 May 2022 from
https://norml.org/marijuana/fact-sheets/racial-disparity-in-marijuana-arrests/

“Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal?” ProCon.org. Last updated on: 11/13/2018. Retrieved 14 May 2022 from
https://marijuana.procon.org/

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