More than twice as many Americans think that marijuana has a positive impact on its consumers and society at large than say the same about alcohol, according to a new Gallup poll.
And perhaps more revealing, people who have actually used cannabis are far more likely to tout its positive impacts compared to just a small fraction of alcohol drinkers who feel the same way about their drug of choice
Overall, the marijuana poll found that Americans are evenly divided when it comes to questions about the effects of cannabis on individual consumers and society overall. Fifty-three percent of respondents said marijuana has a “positive” impact on the consumer (in contrast to 45 percent negative), and 49 percent said the plant is good for society (compared to 50 percent with the opposite view).
This is generally consistent with the results of a separate poll released in March that found more Americans think it’d be good if people switched to cannabis and drank less alcohol compared to those who think the substance substitution would be bad.
But the Gallup poll, released in two waves on Tuesday and earlier this month, also reveals another interesting contrast in how the two substances are perceived. People who said that they’ve at least tried marijuana were far more likely to say that it’s positive for the consumer (70 percent) and society (66 percent) compared to drinkers who felt the same way about alcohol (32 percent and 27 percent, respectively).
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