Pew Research Center reviews “9 facts about Americans and marijuana”

The Pew Research Center has assembled in this new piece a number of notable factoids about attitudes and experiences with marijuana among Americans.  The piece is headlined “9 facts about Americans and marijuana,” and the full piece with al the data is worth a full read. Here is the introductory set up and the listed nine facts: 

The use and possession of marijuana is illegal under U.S. federal law, but most states allow people to access the drug in some form, either for medical or recreational purposes. The changing policy landscape has coincided with a decades-long rise in public support for legalization, which a majority of Americans now favor. Here are nine facts about Americans’ views of and experiences with marijuana, based on Pew Research Center surveys and other sources.

1. The vast majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana in some way….

2. Views on marijuana legalization differ by age, political party and other factors….

3. Support for marijuana legalization has increased dramatically in recent decades….

4. About half of U.S. adults (51%) say they have ever used marijuana….

5. While many Americans say legalizing recreational marijuana has economic and criminal justice benefits, views on these and other impacts vary….

6. Most Americans support easing penalties for people with marijuana convictions….

7. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia allow small amounts of marijuana for both recreational and medical use….

8. As of 2024, more than half of Americans (54%) lived in a state where recreational marijuana use is legal….

9. About eight-in-ten Americans (79%) live in a county with at least one cannabis dispensary….