PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Support for legalizing marijuana for recreational use in the United States has reached the halfway mark, the Gallup poll says.
Exactly 50 percent of those surveyed by the Gallup Organization said they support legalization, up from 46 percent in 2010. This year, 46 percent said marijuana should remain illegal.
When Gallup first asked the question in 1969, 84 percent opposed legalizing marijuana and 12 percent supported it. Support for legalization remained in the mid-20s from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s and has increased steadily since then.
Support for medical marijuana is significantly higher. A Gallup poll last year found 70 percent favor its use for medical reasons.
More than twice as many people ages 18 to 29 favor legalization -- 62 percent -- as those 65 or older. Only 31 percent of those who were in their 20s during the swinging 1960s say marijuana should be legal.
Liberals were twice as likely as conservatives to favor legal marijuana, and Republicans far more likely to oppose it than Democrats and independents.
The poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 6-9 with 1,005 adults surveyed. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
