A recently released Pew Research Center survey revealed that two-thirds of millennials who identify as Republican support the legalization of marijuana and half of the older Republican Gen-Xers agree. This data is a possible indicator of where the “war on drugs” debate is headed in 2016.
From Pew: “Six-in-ten (63%) GOP Millennials say the use of marijuana should be made legal, while 35% say it should be illegal, according to our February 2014 survey. That level of support is higher than among Republican Generation Xers (47%) and Baby Boomers (38%), and much higher than among GOP members of the Silent generation (17%). (When we asked the question again in October, overall opinion was only slightly changed.)”
The survey showed a gap of 14 percent between Republicans and Democrats under the age of 34. Six out of ten (63 percent) of GOP Millennials supported legalization while 77 percent of Democrats in the same age group hold the same view.
In the 35-50 age group, 47 percent of Republicans support legalization as opposed to 61 percent of Democrats.
Pew noted: “The debate over marijuana also comes ahead of the 2016 presidential election, when both political parties are fighting over the coveted Millennial vote as this group of eligible voters swells in size, even if its members do not consistently show up on Election Day.”
Drug Policy Alliance posted the status in Colorado one year after the state voted to make marijuana legal:
“Here’s what we know so far: According to the state’s department of revenue, the first ten months of legal marijuana sales have resulted in nearly $40 million in tax revenue. The city of Denver saw a decrease in violent crime rates in the first 11 months of 2014, following a similar trend in 2013. Statewide traffic fatalities continue to decline, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Upwards of $8 million has been allocated to fund youth education and drug prevention efforts. And the state is enjoying economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in years.”
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