A large percentage of Americans think cannabis is safer than alcohol

Millennials, Gen Z, Gen X and Boomers all noted they think cannabis is less risky than alcohol.

A new poll shows just how much Americans have stopped fearing weed. The majority of those surveyed reported they consider alcohol to be more harmful than cannabis, indicating just how much perceptions around the plant have evolved. The poll, conducted by market research company SSRS, showed that more than half of respondents (58 per cent) of respondents believe cannabis is safer than alcohol. Millennials, Gen Z, Gen X and Boomers, in that order, all noted they think cannabis is less risky than alcohol.

A deeper look into the results shows these are in line with what previous cannabis polls have demonstrated: the vast majority of Americans believe in legal medical marijuana (92 per cent), a smaller yet still large percentage believe in recreational marijuana (69 per cent) and Democrats (78 per cent) and Independents (74 per cent) are more likely to support legal marijuana than Republicans (54 per cent).

While national policies remain slow to embrace change, with every passing year people in the U.S. continue to warm to cannabis.

Comment on the poll’s results, Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws noted in a statement that :voters support legalizing marijuana regardless of political party affiliation.”

Armentano went on to say:

“At a time when national politics remain acutely polarized, elected officials ought to come together in a bipartisan manner to repeal the failed policy of cannabis prohibition. It is one of the few policy reforms that voters on the right and on the left can all agree upon.”