Pew Research Center's latest survey disclosed that three out of four Americans believed that marijuana will be legal for sale and buy anywhere in the US someday. Business Recorder said the poll, which was released on Wednesday, documented the shift in perception of US citizens on certain drugs like pot. Pew, who questioned 1,821 adults across the United States over the phone from February 14 to 23, said that the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
In the survey, 54% of poll participants believed that marijuana should be legalized. The percentage of people who believed in the legalization of pot was significantly lower last year at 42%. When the respondents asked about the legal sale and use of marijuana in the US, a whopping 75% of them approved to the idea, which included those who do not want its legalization.
Business Recorder said that as of the moment, the states of Colorado and Washington have legalized the recreational use of pot, while 21 other states including the District of Columbia only allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Under federal law, marijuana overall is considered an illegal drug and is in the same level with heroin and LSD.
Along with the release of the survey, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said in a testimony before the US Congress that the agency still favors its hard-lined stance on labeling the substance as illegal. Michele Leonhart, who appealed for a budget increase before the House of Representatives appropriations committee, said, "The fight against drug abuse is a generations-long struggle; it will not be won overnight."
She also said that the substance has caused a 48% spike in emergency department visits between the years 2007 and 2011, and noted that the figure was trailing slightly to that of cocaine.
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