How confusing is marijuana legislation in the United States? Enough that one-tenth of Americans polled in our recent survey have no idea if it’s legal where they live.
In our online poll of 1,000 general population respondents, 11% admitted to not knowing if their home state allows for the legal possession of marijuana and other THC products.
Roughly 54% claimed to live somewhere where marijuana is legal, including the 13% who claimed it’s only “partially” legal in their area.
While 39 states have permitted medicinal marijuana use among their citizens, only 19 have also approved it for recreational use — including Colorado, which first legalized the substance in 2012.
Although a national legalization bill passed in the House of Representatives earlier this month, the Senate has yet to review the legislation, with no plans to do so in the immediate future.
Meanwhile, 67% agreed that the United States should legalize marijuana on a federal level.
A nearly identical percentage of respondents (67%) also expressed familiarity with April 20, otherwise known as “4/20” — an unofficial “holiday for stoners” that’s also treated as a day of action among decriminalization activists.
Of course, not everyone was familiar with the term.
“This means 4 over 20 or 4 divided by 20,” said one respondent.
“I haven’t got a fifth of an idea,” said another.
Others had heard of the date’s connection to cannabis, but not its counterculture origins as a ritual among a group of Californians in the ‘70s, who reportedly smoked every day at 4:20 p.m.
TOP TEN MOST-WATCHED STONER COMEDIES
- “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004) - 28.4%
- “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) - 28.3%
- “Up in Smoke” (1978) - 27.5%
- “Pineapple Express” (2008) - 26.0%
- “Dude, Where’s My Car?” (2000) - 25.8%
- “Dazed and Confused” (1993) - 25.7%
- “Friday (1995)” - 25.5%
- “The Big Lebowski” (1998) - 25.1%
- “Half-Baked” (1998) - 23.6%
- "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001) - 23.6%
TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR STONER COMEDIES
- “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle “(2004) - 18.2%
- “Pineapple Express” (2008) - 17.3%
- “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) - 17.2%
- “Up in Smoke” (1978) - 16.5%
- “The Big Lebowski “(1998) - 16.4%
While marijuana typically factors into stereotypical celebrations of Weed Day, popular non-smoking activities can include indulging in snacks, TV/movie marathons and even some well-deserved couch potato time.
When asked what they’d hypothetically choose to watch at just such an event,
- One in four respondents (27%) picked “something comforting and easy to follow” like the “Great British Baking Show.”
- Another one in five (26%) would prefer something “funny and nonsensical” like “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” or “Anchorman.”
- Only one in seven (16%) preferred to stay on theme with stoner comedies, e.g. “Pineapple Express.”
- And even fewer, one in 10 (11%), wanted their minds blown by something like “The Matrix” or “Planet Earth.”
Online survey with 1,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll in April 2022. As members of AAPOR – the American Association for Public Opinion Research, OnePoll researchers adhere to the principles and actions set out in the AAPOR Code.
Photo credit: header image by Shelby Ireland
