Poll: Nationwide marijuana legalization inevitable | www.wsbtv.com

DENVER — Nationwide marijuana legalization seems inevitable to three-fourths of Americans, whether they support it or not, according to a new poll out Wednesday.

The Pew Research Center survey on the nation’s shifting attitudes about drug policy also showed increased support for moving away from mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenders.

The telephone survey found that 75 percent of respondents — including majorities of both supporters and opponents of legal marijuana— think that the sale and use of pot eventually will be legal nationwide. It was the first time that question had been asked.

Some 39 percent of respondents said pot should be legal for personal adult use. Forty-four percent of those surveyed said it should be legal only for medicinal use. Just 16 percent said it should not be legal at all.

The responses come as two states have legalized recreational marijuana, with more than 20 states and Washington, D.C., allowing some medical use of the drug.

via Poll: Nationwide marijuana legalization inevitable | www.wsbtv.com.