Sixty-three percent (63%) of Americans believe patients should be allowed to smoke marijuana if it is prescribed by a doctor.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 24% of adults say patients should not be allowed to smoke pot in cases like that. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided.

The survey was taken following the announcement Monday by Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. that the federal government will no longer prosecute those who use marijuana for medical purposes or those who sell the drug to them.

Americans are more closely divided, however, when asked if the federal government should go after marijuana users even in states that allow its use for medical purposes. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say the government should pursue criminal action against those who use pot in violation of federal law, but 45% disagree. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided.

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Most Americans (57%) think that the federal government’s decision not to pursue marijuana cases in states that allow its use for medical reasons is at least somewhat likely to lead to the national legalization of the drug. Twenty-three percent (23%) say that is very likely.

Thirty-six percent (36%) believe the new government decision is unlikely to lead to legalization: 28% say it’s not very likely, but only eight percent (8%) say it’s not at all likely.

Democrats and adults not affiliated with either major party are much more likely than Republicans to support medically-prescribed marijuana and to oppose federal criminal action against those users.

Republicans are more worried that failure to prosecute medical pot users will lead to legalization.
Forty-one percent (41%) of voters think the United States should legalize and tax marijuana to help solve the nation’s fiscal problems, but 49% oppose that idea.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans say alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana. Just 19% disagree and say pot is worse, but 25% say both are equally dangerous.

Only 29% of adults say they have smoked marijuana at some point. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say they have not smoked pot.

Americans 40 to 64 are more likely to have tried marijuana that those in any other age group.

Among those who say they have smoked marijuana, 85% believe patients should be allowed to use the drug if prescribed by a doctor. Sixty-six percent (66%) of that group oppose federal pursuit of pot users in states that allow marijuana for medical reasons.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of those who have tried marijuana believe the new decision not to pursue cases in states that allow its use for medical purposes is likely to lead to legalization.

Fifty percent (50%) of all adults say they followed recent news reports about the Obama administration’s new medical marijuana policy, including 20% who have followed very closely. Forty-seven percent (47%) say they haven’t followed those reports closely or at all.

Those who have smoked marijuana are following the story more closely.

There were early signals from the administration of a shift away from the decades-old war on drugs toward more emphasis on health treatment for drug users. At that time, 54% of voters said illegal drug use is primarily a criminal justice issue rather than a matter of public health.

California and Massachusetts, both facing major budget problems, are discussing the possibility of legalizing and taxing marijuana, but action in the near future is unlikely. In July as California struggled through budget negotiations, 47% of voters in the state favored legalizing and taxing pot, while 42% were opposed.

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