In a newly-released Gallup poll, 44% of Americans admitted to having consumed marijuana at least once. This is the highest ratio since Gallup started posing this question in 1969, when only 4% of Americans admitted to having tried the drug.
The new survey was conducted July 8-12, just after Oregon joined Colorado, Alaska, Washington and the District of Columbia in legalizing recreational marijuana.
The data shows some stark differences between age groups. 18% Americans under the age of 30 said they currently smoke weed, while those between the ages of 30 and 64 were the most likely to say they had tried cannabis at least once.
There was an inverse correlation between the rate at which a person attends religious services and the likelihood that they admitted to using or having tried marijuana. People with no religious affiliation tended more readily to admit to having used cannabis (18%), while only 6% of Catholics and 5% of Protestants admitted to having tried it.
The poll also showed that men were more likely to having tried marijuana and to use it currently. There were only slight differences across racial and ethnic groups, though, and the likelihood that someone had tried marijuana at least once changed little across education and income levels.
However, people in higher income levels (more than $75,000) were half as likely to say they currently use marijuana than those making less than $30,000 a year.
Source:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/184298/four-americans-say-tried-marijuana.aspx
Photo Credit: Rafael Castillo
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