Poll Finds Strong Support for Medical Marijuana

A new poll finds 85 percent of American adults believe marijuana should be legalized for medical use, HealthDay reports.

The HealthDay/Harris Poll found 57 percent of adults support legalizing recreational marijuana. Support for recreational marijuana was strongest among young adults.

The poll found 80 percent said medical marijuana should be regulated like other medicine. Among those who do not support medical marijuana, the top concern cited was the possibility of the drug getting into the hands of children or harming pets. Among adults who don’t support recreational marijuana, about two-thirds cited the same concern.

The poll found 53 percent said if marijuana were legal, fewer people would die from opioid overdoses.

Fred Muench, President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, said there is no evidence to support the idea that using medical marijuana could help reduce the opioid epidemic. “When you look at the recent reviews of the evidence of medical marijuana, it’s not that great,” he said. “Let’s make sure we’re opening the conversation up to really understand what all of the alternatives are, rather than making a dichotomous argument of opioids versus marijuana.”