Results of a recent Gallup values and beliefs poll revealed that the majority of Americans now consider smoking cannabis to be morally acceptable.  According to the poll, 70% of Americans believe that smoking cannabis is “morally acceptable.” This isn’t a huge change compared to last year; in October of last year, a Gallup poll showed 66% of respondents were in favor of marijuana legalization.  The polling results certainly indicates a drastic shift in public opinion over time, especially compared to previous generations. In the U.S., cannabis is legal for medical use in 33 states, with recreational marijuana available in 11 of those.  Given that most Americans are in favor of cannabis legalization, and that 7 in 10 now deem marijuana use to be “morally acceptable,” what then, is the hold up? The most recent poll was conducted in the spring of 2020 and involved a total of 1,028 participants over the age of 18 and located across all 50 states and D.C.  Of those who were surveyed, 70 percent of respondents indicated that they found smoking cannabis to be “morally acceptable,” with only 28 percent indicating that they found smoking cannabis to be “morally wrong.” The remaining 2% either had no opinion on the topic or indicated in their response that cannabis is “not a moral issue” in their opinion.  In addition to marijuana use, a range of other controversial issues were also addressed by the May poll, including birth control, alcohol, divorce, sex out of wedlock, gambling, the death penalty, and more. Based on the survey’s results, many are calling for marijuana legalization on the federal level.  A statement made NORML Political Director Justin Strekal reads, “Public opinion continues to drastically evolve in favor of marijuana’s legal and cultural status [,] and it is time that the federal laws evolve as well. As we approach Independence Day, it is reassuring to see that majorities of both sides of the ideological spectrum agree that adults should be free from the shackles of marijuana prohibition. Politicians in Washington should take this opportunity ahead of the 2020 elections to move forward legislation, like The MORE Act, to both amend this failed policy and address the inequities and injustices it has brought for generations particularly against communities of color.” GallupNews (@GallupNews) Tweeted last week, “At least seven in 10 U.S. adults say birth control, drinking alcohol, getting a divorce, sex between an unmarried man and woman, gambling, and smoking marijuana are acceptable moral behaviors.” Back in 1969, a previous Gallup poll found that only 4% of those who were surveyed admitted to having tried cannabis in their lifetime.  Treeline Analytics (@TreelineLab502) also posted a Tweet that said, “According to a new @Gallup poll, 70 percent of Americans believe that smoking #marijuana is a morally acceptable action, compared to only 28 percent who believe that getting stoned is unethical.” More details and an in-depth analysis of the latest Gallup poll results can be found here.