American views on marijuana effects worsening: Gallup

The sentiment among Americans on the harmful effects of cannabis has worsened over the past two years, with slight majorities indicating that marijuana negatively affects society as well as its users, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Citing its Consumption Habits poll conducted from July 1 to July 21, the pollster said that 54% of Americans believe that marijuana negatively impacts society, while 51% said it affects those who use it.

A 2022 Gallup poll indicated that 50% and 45% of Americans believed cannabis had a damaging effect on society and most people who use it, respectively.

A separate question of the poll assessed the U.S. adults’ views on the harmfulness of cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco products. While the majority said that all the products were harmful to their users, the lowest percentage of 66% indicated that marijuana caused a similar harm.

Meanwhile, the percentage of U.S. adults who admit to marijuana smoking has dropped slightly to 13% from the 16%–17% range in 2022, according to Gallup. The percentage of adults who consume edibles has remained steady at 12%, compared to 11% who admit to cigarette smoking.

Gallups findings coincide with an ongoing effort by the U.S. Justice Department to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration scheduled a hearing to obtain public views on the proposal.