Public opinion about cannabis sure has changed over the last 20 years. What was once a plant to be avoided is now embraced by a larger segment of the population than ever before. Underscoring that point is a new poll revealing that Americans feel better about cannabis than they do alcohol.
The YouGov poll was taken among 10,412 participants in late February 2022. Asked whether Americans should consume more cannabis and less alcohol, 27% agreed it would be a good idea. Just 20% said it would be bad. The remaining 53% was split between having no opinion and saying that trading one substance for the other would be neither good nor bad.
You could look at the polling data and take it to mean that some Americans are ready to give up booze in favor of weed. But that would be to oversimplify the data. What we do not know is how many of the respondents participated in the poll from the mindset of addiction and abuse. We don’t know how many were thinking of recreational cannabis as opposed to medical cannabis.
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Americans Are More Accepting
The one thing we cannot deny is that Americans are more accepting of cannabis then they were two decades ago. At the turn of the 21st century, there were only a small number of states with medical cannabis programs in place. We are now up to thirty-eight, the vast majority of which only embraced cannabis after successful voter proposition drives. More than a dozen of those states have expanded their medical programs to include recreational cannabis.
Even Utah, a state that many cannabis proponents believed would never get on board with the drug, passed a voter proposition back in 2019. Utah officially launched its medical cannabis program the following year. It has seen steady growth from day one.
The owners of the Pure Utah medical cannabis pharmacy in Payson say that their customers come from all walks of life. Some are professionals who use medical cannabis to treat chronic pain. Others are military veterans whose doctors have recommended cannabis for PTSD. The pharmacy dispenses medical cannabis to blue collar workers, moms and dads, healthcare workers, etc.
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Problems With Alcohol
Getting back to the previously mentioned study, it would be interesting to know why so many people would like to see alcohol users drink less and use cannabis more. It could be as simple as all the problems we associate with alcohol. For example, we know that alcohol abuse breaks up families. We know that drunk driving can be deadly. Our culture has done such a masterful job of educating about the dangers of alcohol that few people are ignorant of them.
On the other hand, the same level of attention has not been given to cannabis. Sure, government agencies have long maintained that cannabis is a dangerous substance. Likewise for medical institutions, educational institutions, and any number of nonprofit organizations who exist to help people cope with drug abuse. But cannabis hasn’t gotten nearly the attention that alcohol has.
The unfortunate truth is that people are just as ignorant about cannabis today as their parents and grandparents were about alcohol. There is a lot we do not know about cannabis. But based on what we do know, it appears as though cannabis doesn’t have the same potential for harm that alcohol does.
How do you feel about cannabis and alcohol? Would you agree with those people who think individuals should drink less and use cannabis more? If nothing else, the question gives us something to think about.
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