From a recent one survey, held by the US analyst firm Gallup, it emerges that the Americans they prefer marijuana to tobacco.
The survey results mark a records unprecedented. In fact, the 16% of those interviewed confirm that they have consumed recently marijuana, while only the11%, in a previous survey, said he had smoked a cigarette tobacco.
Since 2013, when Gallup began asking this question regularly, the percentage of marijuana users has never been so high. On the other hand, however, the share of those who confirmed having recently smoked a tobacco cigarette was the lowest never recorded since 1944.
Furthermore, the 48% of US adults confessed to having used marijuana at least once in a lifetime, compared to a paltry 4% in 1969 when Gallup first asked this question. Same year in which, however, 40% of Americans declared they had smoked a cigarette in the last week.
An unstoppable legalization
The march towards legalization seems unstoppable. Medical cannabis is now legal in 37 of the 50 American states, including 19 which also grant therecreational use. And yet another six who will most likely vote in favor of some legalization measures in the November general elections.
Furthermore, on April 1st the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill which decriminalizes cannabis at the federal level and removes it from Schedule I illicit substances.
| For further information: "USA: the House approves the More Act and decriminalizes marijuana"
America divided between euphoria and prejudice
According to the latest numbers from Gallup, the 68% of US adults is in favor of legalization of marijuana. Nonetheless, the question, "Can cannabis have positive effects on society?" Americans were evenly divided. 49% responded positively, while the remaining 50% responded negatively.
However, the personal experience of each of the interviewees is strongly correlated with their opinions, in fact:
- The vast majority of adults who claims to have tried marijuana, which we remember is almost half of Americans, think that the effects of cannabis on consumers (70%) and on society in general (66%) are positive
- On the contrary, most of those who they have never tried marijuana thinks its effects are negative: both on societies, the 72%, both on consumers, the 62%.
