By David Downs on October 20, 2016

A super-majority of Americans support ending the country’s failed prohibition on marijuana, the polling company Gallup finds just weeks before five states vote to legalize the plant.

The Gallup poll released Wednesday finds support for regulating and taxing cannabis hit an all-time high of 60 percent, up from 58 percent last year and 50 percent in 2011.

The findings comport with another poll last week from Pew Research Center finding 57 percent support for ending pot prohibition.

America enacted pot prohibition in 1937 and declared war on the botanical drug in 1972.

Multiple independent reviews have deemed the plant’s prohibition to be an utter failure that’s cost America untold trillions of dollars in ineffective law enforcement and shattered lives.

About half of Americans have tried pot, and tens of millions are regularly consume the drug, which is less addictive than coffee and has no lethal overdose.

Roughly 700,000 Americans are arrested each year for pot, more than for all violent crimes, combined.

Thirty-five states have some form of medical cannabis law, and four states and Washington DC have legalized adult use of marijuana. Voter experience with pot — as well as the dying off of voters highly biased against it — may be influencing support.

Three out five voters are ready to try a different approach, a historic super-majority. Support increased among all age groups, from college freshmen to senior citizens, Gallup found.

“Marijuana is significantly less harmful than alcohol for society. It should come as little surprise that a growing majority of our society wants it to be treated that way,” stated Marijuana Policy Project director Mason Tvert.

California, Massachusetts, Arizona, Nevada and Maine voters may end prohibition at the ballot box Nov. 8. Several state legislatures may do the same via the legislative process, Tvert said.

“Legislatures are taking a closer look at this issue than ever before,” Tvert stated. “When it comes to ending marijuana prohibition, the writing is not just on the wall, but also on state ballots and bills throughout the country.”

Legalization opponents say that America needs to re-double its efforts to stamp out marijuana use. Roger Morgan from the group Coalition for a Drug-Free California have said the drug war hasn’t failed, “it’s been a failure of leadership.”

“I think we need to renew our vows to America,” he told me in July.

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2016/10/20/gallup-american-supermajority-supports-marijuana-legalization/