Gallup Finds a Majority of Americans Now Think Marijuana Has a Negative Effect on Society and Users

(Smart Approaches to Marijuana)

A recent poll, conducted by Gallup, found that there has been a shift in public opinion regarding marijuana.

The first asked the question, “What effect do you think the use of marijuana has on most people who use it – very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative?” Gallup focused on several demographic subgroups and found that all of them were less likely in 2024 than in 2022 to say that marijuana had a positive effect on users. Here’s a breakdown for each subgroup: 

This poll revealed a 12% drop among Independents, a 7% drop among young adults, and a 13% drop among nonreligious people. Likewise, as the percentage of Americans that say marijuana has a positive effect on most people who use it has declined, there has been an increase in the percentage that say it has a negative effect on them. This increased from 45% in 2022 to 51% in 2024, with the remainder answering that they had “no opinion.” A majority of Americans now recognize that marijuana has harmful effects on users, which include cannabis use disorder, depression, anxiety, and impairment, among others. 

A second question asked, “What effect do you think the use of marijuana has on society – very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative?” It found that the percentage of Americans that thought it was “very negative” or “somewhat negative” increased from 50% in 2022 to 54% in 2024, as the percentage that thought it had a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” effect declined from 49% to 41%. 

More and more Americans are waking up to the harmful effects of marijuana. Now a majority of Americans believe that marijuana is harmful for both users and society. Public opinion is clearly shifting as more families have seen firsthand the results of marijuana use.

Source: Smart Approaches to Marijuana