4/20 Legal Marijuana Quinnipiac Poll Hits New High of Support

HAMDEN, CT — A well-timed Quinnipiac University poll found the highest levels yet for legalizing recreational marijuana use. American voters are 60-34 percent in favor of the measure.

Medical marijuana is overwhelmingly supported 94 to 5 percent.

"From a stigmatized, dangerous drug bought in the shadows, to an accepted treatment for various ills, to a widely accepted recreational outlet, marijuana has made it to the mainstream," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Connecticut legislators considered a bill to legalize recreational use of marijuana this session, but it never made it to a full vote. It faced an uphill battle after Gov. Dannel Malloy and Republican leadership voiced opposition to legalization. Massachusetts legalized the drug after a referendum vote last year.

Voters polled opposed 73 to 21 percent the federal government enforcing laws against states that have legalized marijuana. They also supported 76 to 18 percent of reducing marijuana's Schedule 1 classification, which puts it in the same category as heroin.

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