超過半數美國民衆支持大麻合法化

According to the latest Gallup survey, 58 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Gallup says the poll culminates a year of “unprecedented success” for marijuana advocates and is almost certainly the harbinger of future legalization efforts. Support for legalization has climbed more than 10 percent in the past year alone.

“Whatever the reasons for Americans' greater acceptance of marijuana, it is likely that this momentum will spur further legalization efforts across the United States,” Gallup says in its analysis of the poll.

And as Gallup points out, the 58 percent support for legalization is a stark contrast to the group's first legalization poll in 1969, in which only 12 percent of respondents said they favored making marijuana legal.

Gallup also found that 38 percent of respondents said they had personally tried marijuana at some point.

The largest area of growth has been among independent voters, 62 percent of whom now say they support legalization. Sixty-five percent of self-identified Democrats say they also support legalization. Republicans remain the only significant voting block opposed to legalization with just 35 percent support such an effort.

There is a also a direct correlation between legalization support and age, with voters over 65 representing the only age block opposed to legalization. Fifty-three percent of voters 65 and older say they oppose legalization, compared with just 31 percent of voters aged 18 to 29.

An August memo from US Deputy Attorney General James Cole stated that the federal government will not attempt to interfere with Washington and Colorado’s efforts to implement marijuana legalization laws passed by state voters.

Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing medicinal marijuana use for patients who receive written permission from a doctor.

Several states are planning legalization ballot initiatives set for 2014, including California, Alaska, Arizona and Oregon. Other states, including Rhode Island and Hawaii, are planning legalization initiatives for 2016 to coincide with the next presidential election.

“Because of Colorado and Washington, it’s created a cannabis tidal wave across the country,” marijuana activist Mike Jolson said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We want to capitalize on this wave.”據美國媒體10月22日報道，權威調查機構蓋洛普公司發佈的一份最新民調結果顯示，高達58%的美國民衆支持將休閒娛樂用大麻合法化。

僅在過去一年，美國民衆對大麻合法化的支持率就攀升了超過10個百分點。蓋洛普公司認爲，這一民調結果證明大麻倡導者取得了“空前的成功”，並預示着他們將爲大麻合法化繼續不懈努力，“不論是什麼原因導致美國人對大麻的接受度提高，這都將成爲一種動力、在全美範圍內激起更廣泛的倡導大麻合法化運動”。

1969年，蓋洛普公司首次就大麻是否應該合法化展開民意調查，當時只有12%的受訪者表示支持。“40多年過去了，這一數值增長至58%，實在是顯著的對比，”蓋洛普公司稱。

民調結果顯示，38%的受訪者承認他們曾經嘗試過吸食大麻。在大麻合法化支持民衆的數量增長中，貢獻最大的是獨立選民，他們中的62%認爲美國人應該被准許吸食大麻。自稱爲民主黨人的受訪者中，有65%表示支持。相較於此，共和黨人似乎仍舊是美國大麻合法化進程的最大阻礙，僅有35%對此表示贊同。

此外，美國民衆是否支持大麻合法化與其年齡直接相關。53%的65歲及以上的受訪者稱他們反對大麻合法化，而在年齡介於18歲至29歲之間的受訪者中，僅有31%表示反對。

今年8月，美國司法部副部長詹姆斯·科爾發表聲明稱，聯邦政府無意干涉華盛頓州和科羅拉多州通過允許大麻合法化的法律一事。

目前，美國已有20個州和聯邦直轄區哥倫比亞特區通過了醫用大麻合法化的法律，允許病人在獲得醫生書面許可的情況下購買醫用大麻。還有包括加利福尼亞、阿拉斯加、亞利桑那、俄勒岡等部分州計劃在2014年就大麻合法化舉行公投，而羅德島和夏威夷等州則把投票的時間初定在2016年。

“得益於華盛頓州和科羅拉多州，他們在美國掀起了一股大麻浪潮。”大麻倡導者麥克·喬爾森說，“我們想要利用這股浪潮。”