Marijuana legalization for personal use reaches new high in poll

A record 48 percent of Americans support legalizing small amounts of marijuana for personal use, just one week after three states voted to legalize the drug under some conditions — including Colorado and Washington's historic votes to allow the personal use and sale of pot.

Still, half of those surveyed said they opposed “legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use," according to the poll from ABC News and The Washington Post. Furthermore, nearly four in 10 Americans report being "strongly opposed" to legalization — 11 percentage points higher than those who say they "strongly support" allowing personal use.

But support is up from only 22 percent in 1997, and the 48 percent who say they support legalization is the most in the history of the poll.

Legalization had mixed success at the polls last week. While Colorado approved a constitutional amendment that would allow the sale of marijuana — and directs tax revenues to school construction — by some 10 percent, Oregon rejected a similar measurement by 8 percentage points.

Washington state also legalized possession and use for adults over the age of 21, and Massachusetts approved medical marijuana, but Arkansas rejected a medical marijuana ballot issue 51-49 percent. In Montana, restrictions on the distribution of medical marijuana were upheld by a 57-43 percent margin.

Marijuana possession and sale remain illegal under federal law, so it remains unclear how or if states will go about implementing the recently passed ballot initiatives.

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