The Huffington Post reports that American attitudes towards marijuana are changing so rapidly that policy makers are finding themselves reconsidering policies that have been in place for decades. Public opinion and science are colliding thanks to the internet, and thanks to emerging studies about the health benefits of medical cannabis:
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- People are looking more kindly on marijuana even as science reveals more about the drug’s potential dangers, particularly for young people.
- States are giving the green light to the drug in direct defiance of a federal prohibition on its use.
- Exploration of the potential medical benefit is limited by high federal hurdles to research.
The article goes on to state that pace of change is exceptionally speedy when it comes to wanting to legalize marijuana:
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Fifty-two percent of adults favor legalizing marijuana, up 11 percentage points just since 2010, according to Pew. Sixty percent think Washington shouldn’t enforce federal laws against marijuana in states that have approved its use. Seventy-two percent think government efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they’re worth.By Election Day 2016, we expect to see at least seven states where marijuana is legal and being regulated like alcohol,” says Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, a national legalization group.
Get the full story at The Huffington Post.
