Let’s talk about some exciting marijuana legalization statistics for 2020.
When cannabis became legal in Australia, the UK, and the US, most experts predicted that it would have rapid growth. However, no one was prepared for this kind of expansion.
Today, the cannabis market is one of the fastest-growing markets globally. If you’re a cannabis marketing company, you probably have your hands full as new cannabis businesses are opening daily.
Whether we’re talking about recreational cannabis or medical marijuana, the majority of the population supports these products, giving the substance legitimacy.
If you check marijuana legalization statistics, it is odd that we had to wait so long for cannabis to be legalized in the western world. This is especially true for CBD products, as they have almost unanimous support from consumers.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s check some fascinating marijuana legalization statistics!
1. The majority of US citizens support cannabis legalization.
Cannabis, as a recreational drug, was always popular in the USA. This shouldn’t surprise us, given that the country has ideal conditions for growing this plant.
However, that doesn’t mean that it always had legitimacy. For example, US citizens didn’t even want to hear about cannabis legalization a few decades ago. This makes sense as the drug was not that common, and we didn’t know much about its long-lasting effects.
Today, most of the population is for cannabis legalization, whether we’re talking about CBD or recreational weed.
2. There is a significant discrepancy between generations.
As you can presume, there is a big difference in how marijuana is perceived between different generations. The older generations, like baby boomers, were against cannabis for the longest time.
However, their opinions have changed as we learn more about CBD and its potential benefits. Now, they are one of the more vocal segments of American society in favor of marijuana legalization.
Needless to say, millennials were always pro-cannabis. Their generation has grown up with it, so it shouldn’t surprise us they’re heavily supporting legalization.
The major change occurred with the latest Farm Bill, and it is just a tiny glimpse of things to come.
3. A small percentage of citizens are completely against it.
Although we’re going towards cannabis legislation, and the public opinion is more in favor of the drug, there are still those who oppose it.
In 2019, there was a survey that 59% of people are for both recreational and medical marijuana. However, 39% said that they’re only supporting CBD. A small percentage (8% of participants) said they are against any cannabis legalization.
There are also some differences based on political views. For example, 68% of Democrats are for complete legalization.
This is a considerable number compared to 49% of Republicans. Republicans are much conservative, saying that cannabis should only be used medically (38% of participants).
4. People have different arguments for and against cannabis legalization.
Given that different people have different views, it shouldn’t surprise us that participants had utterly different arguments as to why marijuana should be legal or why it should be illegal.
Many pro-legalization supporters claim that the government is spending too much time and resources fighting cannabis-related crimes. Approximately 70% of people believe that the police would be more successful and focus on more significant crimes if marijuana was legalized.
Needless to say, the majority of study participants support CBD because of its potential medical benefits. However, those who oppose legalization cite an increased number of car accidents as a reason why marijuana should be criminalized.
According to 79% of people, lack of regulation could lead to a high increase in traffic-related deaths. For the longest time, cannabis was seen as a gateway drug.
People are worried that more people would get hooked on potent drugs if we completely legalize the substance (69%).
5. Half of Americans have used marijuana.
According to a survey from 2018, 48% of US citizens have tried the substance. However, these percentages are not that worrisome if we consider that 86% of adults tried alcohol, and 66% tried cigarettes.
The good news is that there aren’t many active cannabis users in the US. Only 16% of participants used marijuana in the last year, while 11% used it in the previous month.
Conclusion
Based on these marijuana legalization statistics, it is evident that many people are still worried about the quick legalization of the substance.
No matter what we say, cannabis can still be used as a drug, and as such, it carries certain issues. Interestingly, most people have bought medical marijuana. That being said, this industry will stay on its current path.
The government is also making lots of money through taxes, so it shouldn’t change soon.