(AURN News) — According to a recent Gallup poll, American perceptions of the effects of marijuana have changed over the past two years. The survey findings reveal a significant shift in public opinion on this issue. In the poll conducted last month, “slim majorities now say it negatively impacts both society as a whole (54%) and most people who use it (51%).” This contrasts sharply with the findings from 2022, when “the public was about evenly divided in its assessments of marijuana’s effect on society and more likely to say the effect on most users was positive (53%) rather than negative (45%),” Gallup said.
The data also shows that certain demographic groups hold different views on the impact of marijuana. Gallup found that “majorities of Americans in several demographic groups believe marijuana has a positive effect on most who use it.” These groups include “those who say they have tried marijuana, young adults 18-34 years old, Democrats, and those who attend religious services less than monthly or never.” Gallup also reports that “majorities of their counterparts — those who say they have never tried marijuana, adults 55 and older, Republicans and those who attend religious services at least monthly — think marijuana has a negative effect on most who use it.” Independents and adults 35 to 54 years old are more divided in their opinions.
Notably, Gallup observed that “all of the groups have become less likely since 2022 to say marijuana has a positive effect on users.” Furthermore, “less than half of Americans in each of these groups now think that marijuana positively impacts society.”
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