Americans more united on marijuana than ever

Americans seem to be more united than ever on the idea of fully embracing the plant because more and more US states are legalizing marijuana and studies shed light on the various impacts the plant has on our bodies.

The new research results came several weeks after President Joe Biden announced pardoning people convicted of federal marijuana possession offenses, and directed the Attorney General and the Department of Health and Human Services to review marijuana's classification under federal law as a Schedule One drug, the same classification as heroin and LSD. The survey was conducted before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Missouri and Maryland legalized recreational cannabis use, joining 19 states and the District of Columbia.

The survey results are in line with a recent Gallup survey that only asks if cannabis should be legal, without specifying if it should be legalized for recreational or medical use. According to the last Gallup research released in November, as many as 68% of U.S. residents support legalization of cannabis. The figure is the same as last year, which is the highest percentage of support in a national Gallup poll.

73% of Democrats and Democratic leaners think marijuana should be legal for both purposes, with 21% saying it should only be legal for medical purposes.