Poll Finds Support for Marijuana Legalization Down From Last Year

A new poll finds 51 percent of U.S. adults favor legalizing marijuana, down from 58 percent last year.

The Gallup Poll found support for legalization is stronger on the West Coast and the Northeast, according to the Los Angeles Times. On both coasts, 57 percent of adults support legalization. Advocates say California is the next battleground for marijuana legalization.

According to the poll, 45 percent of adults in the Midwest and 47 percent in the South support legalization. Among adults who consider themselves conservatives, 31 percent favor legalization.

Oregon and Alaska voted to legalize recreational marijuana use last week. In Washington, D.C., residents voted to allow possession of marijuana, but not retail sales of the drug. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Oregon and Alaska will follow Colorado and Washington state, which legalized recreational use of marijuana in 2012.

Gallup analysts said public support for legalization may have weakened in the last year after news reports about the sale of marijuana-infused edible products in Colorado that could appeal to children.

The polling organization also noted a surge of support for legalization last year came as advocates pushed for ballot measures in several states. Since then, that momentum has slowed, Gallup analysts noted.