Quinnipiac Poll: US Voters Favor Marijuana Legalization

The majority of American voters are in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational and medicinal uses, according to the results of a new survey.

Key figures from the latest Quinnipiac University Poll, conducted among nationwide voters from Jan. 5-9:

• 58 percent said marijuana use should be legal, compared to 36 percent who said the opposite.
• 91 percent said medical marijuana should be legal.
• Republicans are the only group that opposes marijuana legalization, with 62 percent saying they're opposed to it.
• 70 percent are opposed to the federal government enforcing marijuana laws in states in which using the drug in some form is legal.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding an Obama-era policy that made it easier for states to enact laws that legalized marijuana. The new rules will allow federal prosecutors to decide when and where to enforce federal drug laws.

"The demographics say pot is here to stay, either for fun or to provide medical comfort," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "And the message to Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Hands off."

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