For decades, the stigma surrounding and negative connotations associated with cannabis have been hard for Americans to let go. However, recent research has shown that there might be a light at the end of that socially-constructed tunnel.
According to the Paw Research center, 59% of adults are in favor of marijuana being legal for medical and recreational use. 30% of adults say cannabis should be legal only for medicinal purposes. That is a whopping 88% of US adults claiming cannabis should be legal for adults. The remaining 10% stand firm in believing cannabis should not be legal at all.
Will the cannabis stigma end?
Age and political stance have a ton to do with who wants what regarding cannabis being legal. Most adults aged 18-29 want cannabis to be legal, while only a fourth of those aged 60+ agree. It’s hard to say what’s driving people nowadays to swivel away from legalizing marijuana medically and recreationally, as even President Biden is doing the work to pardon people who have been arrested for marijuana possession. It’s a good sign that our country’s leader is on the road to making things better for the community around cannabis as a whole.
What states have legalized medicinal marijuana only?
While not all states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes, 21 have passed the legalization of medical marijuana. They are Mississippi, Alabama, South Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah, Iowa, West Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Hawaii.
What states have legalized recreational marijuana?
21 out of the 50 states in the US have completely legalized marijuana. Medically or recreationally, whatever you use it for – it’s legal. Those states are Maryland, Missouri, Connecticut, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, Vermont, Illinois, Michigan, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, District of Columbia, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington.
Here’s the truth: cannabis stigma is becoming smaller and smaller as the years pass. Now more than ever, adults are more comfortable picturing a life where cannabis consumption is treated similarly to alcohol consumption. The day will come when you can be as comfortable sharing an edible with a friend over dinner as you would with a glass of wine – and in some states and some friend groups, it already is.
