Sixty-two percent of the public believes marijuana use should be legalized, according to a poll published Monday by the Pew Research Center.
That level of support is 1 percentage point higher than last year and the highest recorded by the pollster. Support for legalization has doubled since 2000. At the time, 31 percent of the public said that marijuana use should be legal.
Participants in the poll were asked whether marijuana should be legal without asking them to specify whether they believe it should be legal only for specific purposes, such as for medicine, or whether they believed recreational use should be allowed.
[Opinion: Trump should laugh off his fearmongering marijuana committee]
Marijuana is currently legal for recreational purposes in nine states and the District of Columbia, and 31 have legalized its use for medical purposes. Two more states — Michigan and North Dakota — will be putting the question of recreational legalization before voters during the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Missouri and Utah will face the same question over medical use.
The Pew poll showed that views on the legalization of marijuana use varied according to age and political party. Legalization is most popular among millennials, with 74 percent in support. Gen Xers are second, with 63 percent of support, while just over half, or 54 percent, of Baby Boomers, say the use of marijuana should be legal.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support legalization. Sixty-nine percent of Democrats say marijuana use should be legal, while 45 percent of Republicans say the same.
