Majority of Americans Support Legalization of Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes, According to Time/CNN Poll

Approximately 80% of people in the United States support legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to a new Time/CNN poll, the New York Post reports. Nearly three-quarters of poll respondents said that individuals possessing small amounts of the drug should not be sentenced to any jail time, and 34% favored legalization of marijuana use in all circumstances. According to the Post, approximately 19 states currently either allow the use of medical marijuana or have reduced or eliminated the criminal sentences for such usage. The poll was released shortly before residents in several states are scheduled to vote on ballot initiatives regarding the use of medical marijuana (Graves, New York Post, 10/28). In Arizona, Proposition 203 would create a medical marijuana registry card system and create a state system to distribute the drug to eligible individuals. In Nevada, Ballot Question 5 would amend the state constitution to decriminalize possession of quantities of marijuana amounting to three ounces or less by a person 21 years of age or older (Howard Price, Washington Times, 10/28).