The belief that pot should be legal has reached a new high in CBS News polls.
Sixty-one percent of Americans think marijuana use should be legal, a five-point increase from last year and the highest percentage ever recorded in this poll. Eighty-eight percent favor medical marijuana use.
This sentiment cuts across party lines: Majorities of Republicans (63 percent), Democrats (76 percent), and independents (72 percent) oppose the federal government trying to stop marijuana use in these states.
The percentage of Americans who say they have personally tried marijuana has risen over the past twenty years. Now half of Americans say they have tried it, similar to a year ago, though up from a third who said they did in 1997.