Gallup poll: Majority favors legalizing marijuana

According to the Gallup organization’s latest poll:

“A record-high 50% of Americans now say the use of marijuana should be made legal, up from 46% last year. Forty-six percent say marijuana use should remain illegal.”

The story features an interesting graph that shows the relatively consistent, decades-long growth in pro-legalization attitudes. It doesn’t look like a trend that will reverse anytime soon.

As to what’s driving the trend, the Gallup story offers no specific theory. One has to wonder, though, if (especially in the past year as pro-legalization views have spiked) it might not be a byproduct of the nation’s collective contemplation of this grim reality.