The days of reefer madness are over — unless of course you have mad reefer you’re trying to consume. According to a new study, the majority of Americans favor legalizing weed and few fear the police.
The Cannabis Culture Report comes from DIG Insights, a research firm based in Canada that’s done work analyzing North American attitudes about and use of marijuana.
DIG’s research indicates that 57 percent of Americans support cannabis legalization. Among those in favor of legalizing, 61 percent were men, 79 percent were younger men, and 68 percent were millennials. The report also reveals that just 37 percent of green state residents say they’re more likely to use marijuana after legalization.
A 16 percent minority of Americans think cannabis is “very harmful” — for context, 27 percent think alcohol is harmful, 23 percent think processed sugar is harmful, and 33 percent thing saturated fat is harmful. Meanwhile, a 51 percent majority of Americans think cannabis consumption can be beneficial, though 25 percent also admit that someone close to them was negatively impacted by cannabis.
Moreover, while more than half the nation lives in a legal state, only 22 percent of Americans have used marijuana recreationally in the past year. People between the ages of 18 and 34 (30 percent), and who make less than $60,000 a year (27 percent) smoke the most weed. Younger cannabis users are more likely to vape, while 54 percent of those who’ve used marijuana say they’ve tried edibles. More than 30 percent of those who use cannabis say they do so for wellbeing.
Meanwhile, among those who get high, more than half like to watch TV (52 percent), while other common activities include eating (45 percent), listening to music (41 percent), socializing (33 percent) and drinking (31 percent). Most Americans get their weed directly by purchasing it (53 percent), while 26 percent smoke other people’s weed. Almost 60 percent of those who do buy their own weed, do so from a legal dispensary, while just over 40 percent buy from someone’s residence.
Nonetheless, nearly three quarters of Americans say they feel safe when buying weed and don’t fear police intervention.
As medical and adult use cannabis becomes legal in more states, law enforcement has loosened its grip on weed. Most state compliant cannabis businesses are left alone from local police, while buying weed has become as mundane a task as picking up beer from the liquor store.
Now with 4/20 upon us, cops too may very well look the other way when people brazenly toke up to celebrate just how far the cannabis movement has come.
