---
title: "Support for marijuana legalization continues to rise"
description: "Today, 57% of U.S. adults say use of marijuana should be made legal, while 37% say it should be illegal. A decade ago, opinion was nearly the reverse."
date: "2016-10-12"
authors:
  - name: "A.W. Geiger"
    job_title: "Former Associate Digital Producer/Writer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/abigail-geiger/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/10/12/support-for-marijuana-legalization-continues-to-rise/"
categories:
  - "Age & Generations"
  - "Baby Boomers"
  - "Comparison of Generations"
  - "Drug Policy"
  - "Generation X"
  - "Millennials"
  - "Political Issues"
---

# Support for marijuana legalization continues to rise

*An updated version of this post reflecting data through September 2018 can be found [here](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/05/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/).*

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/10/FT_16.10.11_marijuanaLegal_trend.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/10/12/support-for-marijuana-legalization-continues-to-rise/ft_16-10-11_marijuanalegal_trend/)

The share of Americans who favor legalizing the use of marijuana continues to increase. Today, 57% of U.S. adults say the use of marijuana should be made legal, while 37% say it should be illegal. A decade ago, opinion on legalizing marijuana was nearly the reverse – just 32% favored legalization, while 60% were opposed.

The shift in public opinion on the legalization of marijuana has occurred during a time when many U.S. states are [relaxing their restrictions](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/marijuana-legalization-election/503252/?utm_source=atltw) on the drug or legalizing it altogether. In June, Ohio became [the 25th state](http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx) (plus Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico) to legalize marijuana in some form after [Gov. John Kasich signed](http://www.medicalmarijuana.ohio.gov/News?articleID=1) a medical marijuana program into law. This November, Americans in nine states [will vote](http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/b48abf31b65040b19c7df82e09f96130/9-states-vote-soon-expanding-legal-access-marijuana) on measures to establish or expand legal marijuana use.

Young adults have [disproportionately driven the shift toward public support](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2015/04/14/in-debate-over-legalizing-marijuana-disagreement-over-drugs-dangers/) of the drug, though support is rising among other generations as well. Millennials – those ages 18 to 35 in 2016 – are more than twice as likely to support legalization of marijuana as they were in 2006 (71% today, up from 34% in 2006), and are significantly more likely to support legalization than other generations.

Support for marijuana legalization has also increased among members of Generation X and Baby Boomers (ages 36-51 and 52-70 in 2016, respectively). More than half of Gen Xers (57%) support legalization, a considerable jump from just 21% in 1990. A majority of Boomers (56%) also support legalization, up from just 17% in 1990.

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/10/FT_16.10.11_marijuanaLegal_table.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/10/12/support-for-marijuana-legalization-continues-to-rise/ft_16-10-11_marijuanalegal_table/)

The Pew Research Center survey, conducted Aug. 23-Sept. 2 among 1,201 U.S. adults, also finds persistent partisan and ideological divides in public opinion on marijuana legalization.

By more than two-to-one, Democrats favor legalizing marijuana over having it be illegal (66% vs. 30%). Most Republicans (55%) oppose marijuana legalization, while 41% favor it.

Republicans are internally divided over marijuana legalization. By a wide margin (63% to 35%), moderate and liberal Republicans favor legalizing the use of marijuana. By contrast, 62% of conservative Republicans oppose legalizing marijuana use, while just 33% favor it.

The differences among Democrats are more modest. Liberal Democrats are 23 percentage points more likely than conservative and moderate Democrats to favor legalization (78% vs. 55%).

[As past Pew Research Center surveys](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2015/04/14/in-debate-over-legalizing-marijuana-disagreement-over-drugs-dangers/) have found, Hispanics are less supportive of legalizing marijuana than are whites or blacks. Hispanics are divided – 49% say the use of marijuana should be illegal, while 46% say it should be legal. Identical majorities of whites and blacks (59% each) favor marijuana legalization.

*Note: View the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/FT_16.10.12_Marijuana_topline.pdf) for the Aug. 23-Sept. 2 survey and [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/FT_16.10.12_Marijuana_methodology.pdf) (PDF).*