Politicians may want to use the program to support legal weed blasts as soon as possible

Through Maureen Meihan

A new poll from Monmouth University found that nearly 7 in 10 Americans — a whopping 68% — support legalizing small amounts of cannabis for personal use, compared to just 26% who oppose it.

The poll comes two weeks after President Biden issued a federal pardon for those convicted of simple cannabis possession and urged governors to do the same at the state level. Incidentally, the president’s move received 69% support in the Monmouth poll. At the same time he announced the pardon, Biden said he would ask his administration to review marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug, a category that includes LSD, cocaine and heroin.

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The Washington Post (WAPO) noted with a touch of surprise bordering on joy that political and social scientists considered the societal change remarkable, even unprecedented, when same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide…until now, wrote Aaron Blake of the WAPO. He noted that “compared to 25 years ago, the polls on cannabis legalization are inverted.” A 1997 ABC News poll found that only 22% supported legalizing the possession of small amounts for personal use, and three-quarters opposed it.

“You can’t find any other issue where attitudes have changed so quickly,” said a WAPO political scientist.

Is cannabis use more popular than alcohol and tobacco?

A Gallup poll released in August found that cannabis use among Americans marginally exceeds cigarette use and that its future use will likely be shaped based on future legalization efforts and new research data.

RELATED: Cory Booker optimistic cannabis reform can happen during lame duck session — here’s why

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Weed is much safer than alcohol

In March, the never-ending debate over whether weed is safer and healthier than alcohol was given a shot of information by a study published in Scientific Reports magazine that suggested marijuana is about 114 times less deadly than alcohol.

All of this begs one question: what are our illustrious lawmakers and honorable presidents waiting for?

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.