Politics
Most Americans Who Have Tried Marijuana Or Psychedelics Had ‘Positive’ Experiences, Survey Finds
A majority of Americans have tried marijuana—and most say they had a positive experience—according to a new poll.
The survey from YouGov also found that one in five Americans have used psilocybin mushrooms, and an even greater majority of those respondents described the experience as positive. Most people who have tried other psychedelics like LSD and MDMA also said it was a good time.
As the federal government moves to reclassify cannabis and more states pursue psychedelics reform, the poll offers fresh insights into how people have personally used the substances and where they stand on changing drug laws.
YouGov asked respondents about four substances: marijuana, psilocybin, LSD and MDMA. By far the most commonly used was marijuana (57 percent), followed by psilocybin (20 percent), LSD (16 percent) and MDMA (11 percent).
For each substance, people who said they’ve used it reported a positive experience, most prominently for psilocybin (65). The rest were roughly equal: marijuana (57 percent), MDMA (56 percent) and LSD (55 percent).
About one and four people who’ve used the drugs described the experience as equally positive and negative. And 20 percent of people who’ve consumed marijuana, LSD or MDMA said it was a negative experience, but only eight percent said the same of psilocybin.
Via YouGov.
Notably, when asked whether the substances should be legalized, only marijuana received majority support at 60 percent. Compare that to psilocybin (27 percent), MDMA (16 percent) and LSD (15 percent).
However, among people with personal experience using the drugs, there’s majority support for legalization for each of them except LSD.
“A total of 78 percent of marijuana users support its legalization. 63 percent of psilocybin users want psilocybin legalized, and 55 percent of MDMA users support MDMA legalization,” YouGov said. “There is more division among LSD users regarding its legalization: 38 percent would support it and 43 percent would oppose it.”
The survey involved interviews with 1,134 American adults from April 25-28, with a four percentage point margin of error.
Via YouGov.
Meanwhile, another recent survey found that nearly three in five Americans consider alcohol or tobacco to be “more harmful” to a person’s health than marijuana.
Nine in 10 Americans say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical purposes, a Pew Research Center poll that was released in March found. And most agree that legalization bolsters local economies and makes the criminal justice system more fair.
Pew also released a separate report in February that found eight in 10 Americans now live in a county with at least one marijuana dispensary. The analysis also shows that high concentrations of retailers often “cluster” near borders abutting other states that have “less permissive cannabis laws”—indicating that there’s a large market of people who live in still-criminalized jurisdictions who cross state lines to purchase regulated products.
A poll from Gallup that was released last month found that rates of marijuana use are nearly the same in states that have legalized versus those that maintain prohibition, which suggests that “criminalization does little to curtail its use.”
