USA: Recreational Grass Legislation Sees Successful
YouGov asked more than 32000 Americans if they think recreational cannabis legislation has been more or less a success or a failure in the states that have legalized it. In many states where recreational cannabis is legal, many citizens believe that these laws have been more successful than a failure as a whole.
Balance by States
This conviction is particularly strong in Colorado, where citizens were among the first to vote in favor of recreational weed in 2012. Today, about a quarter (26%) of Coloradians state that recreational cannabis laws 'State have been' a success' and another 45% say they have been 'more a success than a failure'. Less than one in five (17%) think these laws have been "somewhat of a failure".
While decriminalization and medical approval became popular in the 1970s and 1990s, recreational grass was not legalized anywhere in the United States until 2012. Today, recreational use is legal in 11 states : Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Alaska and Vermont and other states are planning to legislate this year.
About two thirds of the inhabitants of Oregon (69%) and Massachusetts (67%) believe that the laws have been more effective. This remains the majority opinion among those who live in Washington (65%), at Nevada (64%), in California (59%), in Illinois (59%) and at Michigan (56%).
Michigan and Illinois are the only Midwestern states where recreational marijuana is legal, and these are the most recent additions to the list. Michigan became the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana after residents approved it in the 2018 midterm elections. Illinois became the 11th state after its government approved recreational cannabis for adults over the age of 21 during the 2019 legislative session. The state began selling recreational marijuana in January.
Le Maine is the only state surveyed where less than half (47%) believe that laws are more effective. About one in nine Maine residents say the laws have been "successful." About a third (37%) consider the laws to be a success rather than a failure. One in five (20%) believe that laws have generally been more of a failure, and one third (33%) are unsure.
