Research Paper Undergraduate 1,223 words

Marijuana Laws, Usage, and Public Attitudes Over 50 Years

~7 min read 7 sections Government · Criminal Justice

Abstract

This paper examines the dramatic transformation in marijuana use, public opinion, and legislation in the United States over roughly fifty years. Drawing on survey data from the Shafer Commission, Gallup polls, and household drug-use surveys, the paper traces rising usage rates from the 1960s through the 1990s, broken down by age, race, and ethnicity. It then documents the sharp shift in public attitudes toward legalization and contrasts the regulatory approaches of individual states — particularly Colorado and Texas — with the continued federal classification of cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance. The paper argues that state-level policy is increasingly outpacing federal law.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: A Half-Century of Change: Overview of shifting marijuana laws and attitudes
Early Survey Data on Marijuana Use: Shafer Commission and 1960s–70s usage statistics
Marijuana Use in the 1990s: Household survey data by age, race, and frequency
Shifting Public Attitudes Toward Legalization: Gallup poll trends from 1969 to 2014
Federal Law vs. State Legalization: Schedule I status versus growing state-level legalization
Colorado and Texas: A Tale of Two Policies: Tax revenue versus criminal penalties compared
Conclusion: Federal policy lag behind state and scientific consensus

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What makes this paper effective

Strong use of longitudinal data — the paper sequences survey findings across decades, making the trend in usage rates and public opinion immediately visible to the reader.
The Colorado–Texas contrast is a well-chosen rhetorical move that grounds abstract policy debate in concrete fiscal and criminal-justice consequences.
The paper stays disciplined in scope, covering usage statistics, attitude shifts, and legal landscape without sprawling into unrelated territory.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates evidence-based policy analysis: it marshals quantitative survey data (Gallup polls, the Shafer Commission, Household Survey figures) alongside journalistic sources to build a chronological argument. Rather than relying on opinion alone, each claim about changing attitudes or usage rates is anchored to a named study or poll, giving the argument measurable credibility.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a framing introduction, then presents two major blocks of historical data (pre-1990s and 1990s usage). It pivots to attitude data via Gallup polls, moves into the current legal landscape at the federal and state level, and closes with a pointed state-by-state comparison before a brief conclusion. This chronological-then-comparative structure keeps the argument easy to follow.

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Essay 1,223 words

Introduction: A Half-Century of Change

The difference between laws regarding marijuana in the 1950s and 1960s and public attitudes — and usage — regarding marijuana today is striking. Usage, laws, and attitudes regarding marijuana (or cannabis) have dramatically changed over the past forty to fifty years. This paper uses survey data and journalistic research to present the sweeping changes in laws, usage, and public attitudes surrounding marijuana.

Early Survey Data on Marijuana Use

According to research conducted by the Center for Drug Research, the first empirical survey on the use of marijuana was conducted in 1971. It was launched by the "Shafer Commission" — under the auspices of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Use — and it conducted what is believed to be the very first in-depth survey of the American general population on drug use, in particular the use of cannabis (Harrison et al., 1996).

The results showed that 14% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 had tried the drug. About 18% of those over 18 had tried cannabis; among young people specifically, 27% of 16- to 17-year-olds had tried it, and 40% of those aged 18 to 21 had tried cannabis (Harrison, p. 3).

Several years before the Shafer Commission report, a 1967 Gallup poll conducted by telephone — less precise than a formal survey — showed that among college students in the United States, 5% indicated they had a lifetime prevalence of marijuana use (Harrison, p. 3). In 1969, 12% of those in the 21–29 age group, 3% in the 30–49 age group, and only 1% in the 50-and-older group reported ever trying marijuana. By 1970, following the youth revolution combined with the anti-war movement against the Vietnam War, another Gallup poll showed that 43% of college students had experimented with marijuana (Harrison, p. 4).

By 1971, over half — 51% — of the nation's college students had at least tried marijuana. A comprehensive national survey in 1972 by the Shafer Commission found that "daily use" was rising among young people. The startling statistics showed that 5% of junior high students, 11% of high school students, and 8% of college students were daily users of marijuana. Survey data continued to reflect rapid growth in marijuana use across America: prior to the mid-1960s, fewer than a million people had even tried marijuana; by 1972, twenty-four million people had smoked marijuana at least once, and eight million were using it regularly on a daily basis (Harrison, p. 4).

Marijuana Use in the 1990s

The 1993 Household Survey reported that 13.6% of youth, 26.6% of young adults, 17.4% of middle adults, and 6.3% of older adults reported using some illicit drug during the previous year (Harrison, p. 5). About 5.1 million Americans reported using marijuana on a weekly basis. The Household Survey also showed that alcohol use far exceeded marijuana use at all prevalence points (Harrison, p. 5).

Looking at age differences among cannabis users in the 1993 survey, 59.2% of middle-aged adults had been using marijuana for much of their adult lives; 47.4% of young adults reported long-term use; 26.6% of older adults and 11.7% of young persons reported long-term habits.

The racial and ethnic breakdown from the 1993 survey showed that 35.6% of Caucasians and 30.7% of African Americans reported using marijuana regularly. Only 28.1% of Latinos who reported using marijuana had regular habits (Harrison, p. 6).

Shifting Public Attitudes Toward Legalization

The views of Americans regarding marijuana have changed considerably. According to a Gallup survey from November 2014, some 51% of Americans supported legalizing the drug — a figure that contrasts sharply with the 12% who favored legalization in 1969 (Saad, 2014). By the late 1970s, 28% of those polled agreed that marijuana should be legal, and by 2003 that percentage had risen to 34% (Saad, p. 2). In 2011, 50% supported legalization — a dramatic shift from forty years prior — and in 2013, the number rose further to 58% (Saad, p. 2).

Fewer than a third of conservative Americans supported legalization in 2014; consequently, the states that have legalized marijuana tend to be more politically liberal. That pattern is reflected in the states that legalized cannabis early, including Oregon, Washington State, and Colorado. Alaska, not typically considered a liberal state, nonetheless opened the door to legalization as well. Among Americans in the 18-to-34 age bracket, 64% favored legalization, according to Saad.

2 Sections Hidden · 410 words

Federal Law vs. State Legalization130 words

In the United States, twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws legalizing medical cannabis, and four states — Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, and Alaska — have legalized marijuana for recreational use.…

Colorado and Texas: A Tale of Two Policies280 words

Colorado offers a vivid example of the fiscal benefits of legalization. In its first year of legal recreational marijuana sales, the state…

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Conclusion

It is expected that more states will follow the lead of Alaska, Oregon, Washington State, and Colorado. The federal government still maintains that marijuana is dangerous and should not be made legal, which conflicts with the reality that twenty-three states have been permitting the sale of legal medical marijuana for many years. If twenty-three state legislatures believe there are significant medicinal benefits to marijuana, it seems well past time for the federal government to align its policy with current science and medicine.

Works Cited

Boyette, C., and Wilson, J. (2015). It's 2015: Is weed legal in your state? CNN. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com.

Harrison, L. D., Backenheimer, M., and Inciardi, J. A. (1996). The Nature and Extent of Marijuana Use in the United States. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.cedro-uva.org.

Hughes, T. (2015). Colo. pot users helping build schools with tax dollars. USA Today. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.usatoday.com.

Saad, L. (2014). Majority continues to support pot legalization in U.S. Gallup. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.gallup.com.

Steiner, M. (2015). Texas marijuana laws. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com.

Key Concepts in This Paper

Marijuana Legalization Schedule I Drug Shafer Commission Gallup Polls Medical Cannabis Recreational Use Drug Policy Reform State vs. Federal Law Cannabis Taxation Usage Trends