Pubdate: Fri, 05 Apr 2013 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2013 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: David Lauter, Tribune Washington Bureau Page: 8 MAJORITY SUPPORTS LEGALIZING POT Poll Shows Change in Attitudes, Especially Among Baby Boomers, As Drug Loses Stigma WASHINGTON - A majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, a new poll indicates, with the change driven largely by a huge shift in how the baby boom generation feels about the drug of their youth. Adult Americans back legalization, 52 percent to 45 percent, according to the survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. The finding marks the first time in more than four decades of Pew's polling that a majority has taken that position. Two big shifts in opinion likely contribute to support for legalization. Most Americans no longer see marijuana as a "gateway" to more dangerous drugs or see its use as immoral. As recently as 2006, half of respondents told Pew that marijuana use was "morally wrong." Now, one-third do, while half say marijuana usage is "not a moral issue." By an overwhelming margin, 72 percent to 23 percent, respondents said the federal government's efforts against marijuana "cost more than they are worth." Similarly, by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio, respondents said the federal government should not enforce its anti-marijuana laws in states that allow use of the drug. The Obama administration has been vague on federal law enforcement in states such as Washington and Colorado, which have legalized marijuana for recreational use, or in California, which allows it for medical use. Federal prosecutors in California have brought charges against some sellers of medical marijuana. In December, Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged a "tension between federal law and these state laws" and said a clarification of federal policy would come "relatively soon." That has not yet happened. So far, 24 states and the District of Columbia either have decriminalized personal use of marijuana, legalized it or allowed it to be used for medical purposes. The poll suggests a shift in federal law may be slow. A notable political split exists on the issue, with conservative Republicans heavily against legalization, while majorities of Democrats, independents, and liberal and moderate Republicans back it. Still, advocates of legalization cheered the latest poll results. States will almost certainly continue to move faster than Congress, said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates legalization. "But this debate is going to open more quickly now on Capitol Hill." On two issues, opinion is more uniform than on legalization: the belief that current enforcement efforts are not worth the cost, and acceptance of the idea that marijuana has medical uses. By a margin of 77 percent to 16 percent, poll respondents said they agree on that, with support for medical marijuana cutting across partisan and generational lines. The percentage of people who say they have used marijuana in the last year (about 1 in 10) or at any point in their lives (about half ) is virtually identical in states that have legalized some marijuana use and those that have not, suggesting that more liberal laws have made usage more visible, not increased it. The main divisions on marijuana legalization are those of age: Younger Americans back legalization more than their elders, although the poll shows legalization gaining support among all generations. Among those ages 30 to 49, parents are less likely to support legalization than non-parents. Those with children 18 or younger at home are closely divided, 50 percent to 47 percent, while those without children at home support legalization, 62 percent to 35 percent. The effect of parenthood may also be part of the most striking shift in opinion - the change among baby boomers. During the 1970s, when baby boomers were in their teens and 20s, a plurality supported legalizing pot. But as they aged, boomers changed their minds, with support for legal marijuana dropping to fewer than 1 in 5 by 1990, when they were in their 30s and 40s. The new March 2013 poll shows 50 percent now support legalizing the drug. The Pew survey was conducted March 13-17 by telephone among1,501American adults. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt