Survey Finds Most Americans See Marijuana as Less Harmful Than Sugar
The debate on marijuana legalization in the US has been shifting in favor of stoners for sometime now. Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Washington State have legalized recreational and medical marijuana. Tons more states have legalized medical marijuana. So pot use is becoming less taboo and more accepted in America. In fact, according to a recent survey, Americans have started to see marijuana as less threatening than some other, long-accepted vices.
A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published and conducted by Hart Research Associates found that Americans regard pot as less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. According to those polled, it's even seen as safer than sugar! 49% of those surveyed found alcohol to be "most harmful to a person’s overall health" and only 8% felt the same way about marijuana. While 15% found sugar to be the most dangerous. Though, it's unclear what the conversion rate would be in this instance. Does one Snickers bar equal one joint? Or are we talking about steady, long term usage? How many of those surveyed were dentists or diabetic? In any case, it's obvious that opinions about these substances have changed for Americans
As Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, told The Huffington Post: "The public's understanding of marijuana is more in line with the facts than ever before. Marijuana is not entirely harmless, but there is no longer any doubt that it poses far less harm to the consumer than many of the legal products engrained in American culture."
Okay, while it has been proven that cannabis use has fewer health risks than alcohol and tobacco, we're still not aware of any similar study done for sugar. But one thing is for sure, weed's social stigma is still strong politically. Even with most thinking pot is safer than booze or cigarettes, 41% of those surveyed said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported legal marijuana.
Still, 31% of participants said that they would be more likely to vote for a pro-pot politician, and 27% said it wouldn't affect their vote at all. Add the number of supporters and the apathetic, and you've got a majority!
The overall numbers reflect a lot of uncertainty and ambivalence, which is understandable since the idea of actual, legal marijuana — and not just a fantasy for advocates — is still relatively new. Given a few months and even a couple years the affects of life with legal weed will likely show different results in future polling. So only time will tell how much more public acceptance the legalization movement can gain or lose.
For right now, however, Coloradans seems pretty pleased with their decision.
[Pic via Flickr - PabloEvans]
