![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.amptoons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/blog_gallup_marijuana_legal_2013_october.jpg\" "\\"blog_gallup_marijuana_legal_2013_october\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nMark Kleiman<\/a> has some caveats, but still, this is a milestone. It won’t be long before supporting legal pot will seem so safe and mainstream that politicians will be sprinting in front of the crowd so they can claim to be leaders.<\/p>\n Gallup <\/a>writes:<\/p>\n A sizable percentage of Americans (38%) this year admitted to having tried the drug, which may be a contributing factor to greater acceptance.<\/p>\n Success at the ballot box in the past year in Colorado and Washington may have increased Americans’ tolerance for marijuana legalization. Support for legalization has jumped 10 percentage points since last November and the legal momentum shows no sign of abating. Last week, California’s second-highest elected official, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, said that pot should be legal in the Golden State, and advocates of legalization are poised to introduce a statewide referendum in 2014 to legalize the drug.<\/p>\n The Obama administration has also been flexible on the matter. Despite maintaining the government’s firm opposition to legalizing marijuana under federal law, in late August Deputy Attorney General James Cole announced the Justice Department would not challenge the legality of Colorado’s and Washington’s successful referendums, provided that those states maintain strict rules regarding the drug’s sale and distribution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 35% of Republicans and 65% of Democrats (and 62% of independents) supported marijuana legalization, which means that this is probably going to become a partisan issue. I suspect that will be good for the Democratic Party, but not so good for putting an end to the failed “war on drugs” policy.<\/p>\n This chart (hat tip to Kevin Drum) says it all: Mark Kleiman has some caveats, but still, this is a milestone. It won’t be long before supporting legal pot will seem so safe and mainstream that politicians will be sprinting … Continue reading ![\"Marijuana](\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3188\/2554179533_87eb234a4a.jpg\")
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