Have you ever heard the old adage, “Don’t knock it until you try it”? The latest Gallup polling data seems to support this concept, showing that 70% of American adults who have tried it think its effects on users are positive.
These results were collected from the July 5-26 Gallup consumer survey, conducted annually during the month of July.
A large majority, or 70% of Americans who have ever tried cannabis, think marijuana’s effects on users are “very” or “somewhat positive,” and 66% believe the effect of marijuana on society is “very” or “somewhat positive”.
But on the other hand, an equally large majority of people who have never tried cannabis believe its effects are negative, with 72% saying its effect on society is “very” or “somewhat negative ” and 62% say that its effects on users are “very” or “somewhat negative”.
In other words, you might assume that some people don’t like cannabis until they try it for themselves, or see the miraculous healing powers of the plant first hand, with their own eyes.
“The data from this survey indicates that personal experience with cannabis is a relatively safe cure for ‘cooler madness,'” said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. “As a greater percentage of adults continue to become familiar with marijuana for therapeutic purposes or for their own personal use, expect to see many of the more sensational but misleading claims that once dominated the cannabis narrative relegated to the dustbin of history.”
While about half of Americans have tried pot at some point, 48%, only 16% say they are currently smoking it.
Global view of America
Americans are split in half on pot’s effect on society, with 49% seeing it as positive and 50% seeing it as negative. Slightly more support was found for pot’s effect on users, with 53% saying it’s positive and 45% negative.
Armentano is “not particularly” surprised that American adults are divided on their views on cannabis.
“We’ve known for some time that there is a percentage of Americans who believe marijuana should be legalized and regulated,” Armentano tells High Times. “Because criminalizing it is a policy that has not worked, and that entails very high costs. And I think that’s reflected in the fact that Gallup finds that a majority of Americans think marijuana should be legal, but America is very divided on whether or not marijuana use per se is beneficial. You have a percentage of the public that may not necessarily like cannabis, but they don’t like banning cannabis even more.”
Americans, however, seem to recognize the harms of alcohol and view cannabis much more positively than alcohol. A Gallup poll released earlier last month shows that three out of four U.S. adults believe alcohol negatively affects society, and 71% said they believe it is harmful to drinkers.
When Gallup began polling Americans about cannabis in 1969, only 4% said they thought it should be legal. Over the decades, this number has slowly but steadily increased to reflect rapidly changing attitudes in the country. According to the most recent Gallup poll, 68% of American adults, tied for a record high, believe pot should be legal.
Testimony of the benefits of cannabis
The second best first-hand experience is the power of social media and how it is showing the world that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and most importantly, that it can help heal.
These types of videos can help convert cannabis reform opponents or undecideds.
An example of this would be viral videos on social media showing the healing powers of THC or CBD. Facebook user Pete Starostecki was a multi-state cannabis refugee and posted a viral video of CBD oil stopping seizures in real time with his son. British professional boxer Anthony Fowler, for example, posted a video of a dog having a seizure and how quickly CBD oil stopped the dog from shaking.
The additional influence of cannabis in the media helps to normalize working, functional Americans who choose to consume cannabis responsibly, as evident in the increasing number of successive Gallup polls.
