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America’s Embrace of Marijuana

Why public opinion has changed so quickly.

24 Oct 2024, 11:50 by https://www.nytimes.com/by/german-lopez · NY Times

Twelve years ago, mainstream politicians opposed marijuana legalization. Recreational use was forbidden even in the most liberal states.

Today, even conservative states are considering the policy — including North Dakota, South Dakota and Florida, through ballot initiatives this November. And both presidential contenders now favor legalization. Kamala Harris confirmed her support this month. Donald Trump says he will vote for Florida’s initiative. He also backs easing federal restrictions on weed. This is the first time even one major-party candidate has publicly supported legalizing pot.

The shift was unusually quick for American politics; it’s very rare for the bipartisan consensus to flip in less than a generation.

One reason politicians have changed their minds so quickly is that they are following a shift in voters’ views. In today’s newsletter, I’ll look at how public opinion evolved — and why Harris’s and Trump’s positions could matter even in states that have already legalized marijuana.

A quick shift

Americans’ views on domestic policy are largely stable. Consider guns: Congress passed the last major federal gun measure, the Brady Act, three decades ago. Since then, views on whether firearm laws should be made more or less strict have barely moved, according to Gallup. This is typical for most domestic policy issues, researchers have found.

Marijuana legalization is an exception. In 2000, 31 percent supported it; now 70 percent do.

The new consensus formed long before politicians caught up. Most Democrats have supported legalization since the late 2000s. Most Republicans have since 2017, according to Gallup.

Why did public opinion change so quickly? One explanation is exhaustion with the war on drugs. Decades of punitive policy did not get great results. The United States is in the middle of its deadliest drug overdose crisis ever (although overdose deaths are now falling). People want reform, and one place to start is a drug that most Americans see as less dangerous than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco.

The shift has continued even as legalization has produced its own problems. In states where marijuana is legal, people have reported more addiction and other serious medical issues that are linked to daily marijuana use. (See some of those harms.) Still, public opinion remains in favor of legal pot — and now Democratic and Republican leaders are catching up.

Federal impact

With many states legalizing marijuana — perhaps a majority, after this year’s election — you may wonder whether it matters that the presidential candidates have come around to legalization. After all, many states addressed the issue before federal officials caught up.

But federal law still shapes marijuana policy at the state level. For example, many banks, which are regulated at the federal level, remain wary of holding money from marijuana businesses. In many ways, the law treats those transactions the same way it does bank transactions from a drug cartel or another criminal enterprise. This leaves dispensaries open to robbery because many can’t take credit cards and can’t find a secure place to store all their cash.

Federal regulation can also help address some of the problems that have appeared with legalization.

Congress will ultimately decide whether federal marijuana laws are loosened or repealed. But the next House and Senate will be able to make such changes with confidence, knowing that they probably won’t face a veto from the White House.

Related: A jar of legal weed can cost $60 in New York. One reason? Federal prohibition.

THE LATEST NEWS

Democratic Campaign

When asked in a CNN town hall if she believes Trump is a fascist, as his former chief of staff alleged to The Times, Harris said yes.
Harris was also asked about her changes in position on fracking and other issues. She said the country deserved a president “who is not afraid of good ideas and does not stand on pride,” adding, “The important thing is to build consensus to fix problems.” Read more takeaways.
A leading historian of fascism thought the label was overused. He’s changing his mind.
Eminem and Violent J of Insane Clown Posse are among the celebrities who have recently endorsed Harris.
The authorities arrested an Arizona man in connection with shootings at a Democratic Party campaign office. He had dozens of guns and a grenade launcher at his home
The head of The Los Angeles Times’s editorial board resigned after the paper’s owner blocked an endorsement of Harris.

Republican Campaign

The Justice Department warned Elon Musk’s super PAC that his plan to give voters $1 million might violate federal law. It’s illegal to pay people to register to vote.
The country singer Jason Aldean said he’d voted early for Trump.
Can Harris or Trump bring back manufacturing jobs? We looked at the data.

Voting

Marjorie Taylor Greene turned a Georgia voter’s simple mistake into a conspiracy theory. Other Trump allies are reviving false claims about voting machines.
Georgia’s secretary of state said that a foreign cyberattack had failed to shut down the state’s website to request absentee ballots.

International

Afghanistan’s most wanted militant is trying to remake himself as a statesman. Diplomats are shocked — and intrigued. Read The Times’s interview with him.
The Group of 7 nations will use frozen Russian assets to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, essentially forcing Russia to financially support Ukraine.
Israel bombed the ancient port city of Tyre in Lebanon. It issued a major evacuation order there.
Fake X accounts linked to China are attacking Republican members of Congress, accusing them of corruption and promoting their electoral opponents.
North Korea’s decision to dispatch troops to help Russia may complicate the Kremlin’s relationship with China.
Liberal Party lawmakers in Canada are urging their leader, Justin Trudeau, to step down as prime minister. They worry his unpopularity could hurt them in the next election.

Opinions

“Show you’re going to fight for them”: Four economists discuss what the presidential candidates’ policies should be.

It’s the inflation, stupid: Adam Seessel writes about why the working class wants Trump back.

The Mets’ run this year gave Kathleen O’Brien’s autistic son a hobby he can hold onto when she’s gone.

Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on lead poisoning and Pamela Paul on settler colonialist theory.

MORNING READS

Today’s great read: How did two of the world’s rarest horses get lost?

Table talk: Can’t hear your friends in a noisy restaurant? Headphones could help.

Normies: Lana Del Rey married a swamp tour guide. See other celebrities who have married regular people.

11 stories tall: A new mural in Brazil uses materials from environmental disasters to protest corporate destruction of wildlife.

A divided house: For politically opposed couples, the election can’t end soon enough.

Social Q’s: “My sister chose my birthday for her scheduled C-section. I’m annoyed!”

Haunted: Even skeptical real estate agents say they think twice about the existence of ghosts.

Lives Lived: Fernando Valenzuela won his first eight starts as a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, igniting the “Fernandomania” phenomenon and helping him win the 1981 Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. He died at 63.

SPORTS

Sprinter: Julia Hawkins, who took up running after her 100th birthday and went on to set world records in the 100-meter dash, died at 108.

N.B.A.: The Los Angeles Clippers opened a new arena with an overtime loss to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.

College football: Bond was set for two former Penn State players who are awaiting a hearing on rape charges.

N.F.L.: The Kansas City Chiefs acquired the receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans.

ARTS AND IDEAS

There is no shortage of political impersonations this campaign season. Maya Rudolph has returned to “Saturday Night Live” to play Kamala Harris; Sebastian Stan embodies Donald Trump in the movie “The Apprentice.” But Dana Carvey’s impression of President Biden has stood out. “Carvey doesn’t mimic Biden as much as capture his energy and give something that feels like genuine insight,” Alissa Wilkinson writes. Read about how.