GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON NJ -- A Gallup poll conducted earlier this year indicates that nearly a third of the U.S. public (31%) believes use of marijuana should be made legal, while the majority of American adults -- 64% -- believe it should remain illegal. The number of Americans favoring the legalization of marijuana has increased from 12% in 1969, when Gallup first asked the question, although still significantly less than a majority. The percentage favoring legalization hovered in the mid-twenties during the 1980s and 90s. The previous high water mark was 28% in 1977.
The August 29-September 5 Gallup poll also asked whether or not the possession of small amounts of marijuana should be treated as a criminal offense. The public is basically split on the issue -- fifty-one percent of American adults think that possessing small amounts of marijuana should be treated as a criminal offense, while 47% disagree. The public has become tougher on the issue of criminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana; when Gallup first asked this question, in 1977, 41% of Americans thought possession of small amounts of marijuana should be treated as a criminal offense.
Opinions About Marijuana Vary Greatly by Age
Attitudes toward the legalization of marijuana are strongly related to age. Currently, 47% of those ages 18-29 think the drug should be legalized, compared to 35% of 30-49 year olds, and 28% of 50-64 year olds. Only 12% of those over age 65 think marijuana should be legalized.
Younger Americans are also slightly less likely to believe that possessing small amounts of marijuana should be a criminal offense. Among 18-29 year olds, 43% say it should be a criminal offense, compared to 48% of those 30-49, 59% of 50-64 year olds, and 57% of those over age 65.
Drugs in America: Measuring Problems and Progress
Drugs and drug use have been defined as a fairly significant social problem in America in recent decades. From the political and social upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s, to the Nancy Reagan led "Just Say No" movement in the 1980s, to the current state of affairs which sets anti-drug organizations like D.A.R.E against a backdrop of a popular culture where drug use is more widely depicted than ever, drugs remain a part of the American landscape.
How well has the United States dealt with the drug problem? The Gallup poll finds that 47% of the public says that the United States has made progress in coping with the problem of illegal drugs. Another 23% believes the United States has "stood still" in the effort against illegal drugs, and 29% says the country has "lost ground" in the effort. The 47% saying the United States has gained ground is higher than at any point since Gallup started asking the question in 1972. This measure has varied by as much as 20 percentage points, with the low point coming in June of 1976 when 27% said the country had made progress in coping with the problem of illegal drugs.
As is often the case when Americans are asked about social problems, the poll shows that Americans believe drugs are a major problem for the country in general, but not for their area specifically. When asked if drugs are a serious problem in the United States, 83% of the public says it is a "very" or "extremely" serious problem, 15% say "moderately" serious and only 2% say it is "not too serious" or "not serious at all." But, when Gallup asked the public about drug problems in the areawhere they live,just 34% say it is a very or extremely serious problem, 39% say the problem is moderate, and 25% said drug use is not too serious a problem or not at all serious.
Even more specifically, Gallup asked the public if drug use had ever been a cause of trouble in their families. This year, 22% of Americans say it has been, while 78% say it has not. These findings are similar to results found in 1995 and 1999. Some difference in response exists according to household income. For respondents whose household income is over $50,000, 18% say drugs have been a cause of trouble in their family. The percentage rises to 22% among those with household incomes between $30,000 and $50,000, with the highest incidence -- 29% -- among those making between $20,000 and $30,000. For those making $20,000 or less, 24% say that drugs have been a cause of problems in their family.
Survey Methods
The results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,012 adults, 18 years and older, conducted August 29-September 5, 2000. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 5 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
Overall, how would you describe the problem of drugs [ROTATED: in the United States/in the area where you live] -- is it extremely serious, very serious, moderately serious, not too serious, or not serious at all? How would you describe the problem of drugs . . .
A. In the United States
|
Extremely serious |
Very |
Moderately serious |
Not too serious |
Not serious at all |
No |
|
|
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 |
43% |
40 |
15 |
1 |
1 |
* |
B. In the area where you live
|
Extremely serious |
Very |
Moderately serious |
Not too serious |
Not serious at all |
No |
|
|
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 |
13% |
21 |
39 |
19 |
6 |
2 |
Now, how much progress do you feel the nation has made over the last year or two in coping with the problem of illegal drugs -- has it made much progress, made some progress, stood still, lost some ground, or lost much ground?
|
Made much progress |
Made some progress |
Stood still |
Lost some ground |
Lost much ground |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 |
6 |
41 |
23 |
17 |
12 |
1 |
|
1999 Sep 23-26 |
4 |
42 |
27 |
14 |
12 |
1 |
|
1996 Nov 21-24 |
3 |
28 |
22 |
24 |
22 |
1 |
|
1995 Sep 14-17 |
2 |
36 |
30 |
19 |
11 |
2 |
|
1976 Jun |
2 |
25 |
29 |
25 |
15 |
4 |
|
1974 Apr |
4 |
36 |
21 |
19 |
16 |
5 |
|
1972 May |
3 |
32 |
20 |
21 |
20 |
5 |
Has drug abuse ever been a cause of trouble in your family?
|
Yes |
No |
No opinion |
|
|
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 |
22% |
78 |
* |
|
1999 Sep 23-26 |
17% |
83 |
* |
|
1995 Sep 14-17 |
19% |
81 |
* |
Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?
BASED ON -- 505 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A; ± 7 PCT. PTS.
|
Yes, legal |
No, illegal |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 |
31 |
64 |
5 |
|
1995 Aug 28-30 |
25 |
73 |
2 |
|
1985 |
23 |
73 |
4 |
|
1980 |
25 |
70 |
5 |
|
1979 |
25 |
70 |
5 |
|
1977 |
28 |
66 |
6 |
|
1973 |
16 |
78 |
6 |
|
1972 |
15 |
81 |
4 |
|
1969 |
12 |
84 |
4 |
Do you think the possession of small amounts of marijuana should or should not be treated as a criminal offense?
BASED ON -- 507 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B; ± 7 PCT. PTS.
|
Yes, treated as a criminal offense |
No, not treated as a criminal offense |
No |
|
|
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 |
51% |
47 |
2 |
|
1985 May 17-20 |
50% |
46 |
4 |
|
1980 Jun 27-30 |
43% |
52 |
5 |
|
1977 Apr 1-4 |
41% |
53 |
6 |
*Less than 0.5%
