Pubdate: Fri, 05 Apr 2013 Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH) Copyright: 2013 The Columbus Dispatch Contact: http://www.dispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93 Author: Rob Hotakainen Page: 3 MAJORITY IN U.S. FAVOR LEGALIZING POT WASHINGTON - Only five months after Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, a poll released yesterday found that a majority of Americans now agree and say it should be legal to smoke the drug. And, as Attorney General Eric Holder tries to figure out how to respond to the new laws, the poll had more good news for voters in the two states: Sixty percent of Americans say the U.S. government should not enforce federal drug laws in any state that has voted to legalize pot. The poll found a strong consensus among people of all political persuasions for the federal government not to intervene: 64 percent of those who identified as independents, 59 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans. Overall, 52 percent of Americans now say marijuana should be legal, while 45 percent say it should remain illegal, according to the poll conducted in mid-March by the Pew Research Center. The center said it was the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue that legalized marijuana had won majority support. And the poll found a sharp decline in the percentage of Americans who believe that marijuana is a "gateway" drug that leads users to try harder drugs such as cocaine. It's mainly younger Americans who are propelling the drive to legalize the drug, with 65 percent of adults born since 1980 backing the idea. That compares with 36 percent for the same age group five years ago. The poll found that support for legalizing marijuana rose by 11 points among all age groups since 2010. That's a huge change since a 1969 Gallup survey found only 12 percent backing legalized marijuana, while 84 percent were opposed. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom