The race to become the 15^th state to pass an effective medical marijuana law got a little tighter yesterday when the New York State Senate Health Committee passed S. 4041-B, the Senate’s medical marijuana bill. The bill got out of the Health Committee on a bipartisan 12 to 6 vote and now heads to the Senate Codes Committee.

The New York State Assembly passed medical marijuana legislation in 2007 and 2008, but the issue has never gotten a Senate floor vote. For the first time last year, a Senate medical marijuana bill passed the Senate Health Committee, but progress stalled because of the Senate leadership struggle, which lasted until just before the legislature recessed. Will 2010 be the year New York lawmakers listen to the will of the people and finally pass a law to protect its states sick and dying patients from arrest or jail?

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals that more than eight in 10 Americans (81%) support efforts to make marijuana legal for medical use, up from 69 percent in 1997. Fifty-six percent say that if it’s allowed, “doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to anyone they think it can help.” Last week the New Jersey state legislature passed a medical marijuana bill and yesterday Gov. Corzine signed the bill into law, making New Jersey the 14^th state to provide its sick and dying patients with safe access to marijuana.

Additionally, the ABC News/Washington Post poll finds 46 percent support for making the possession of small amounts of marijuana legal for personal use, up from 22 percent in 1997.

A new national poll shows that 53 percent of Americans favor ending marijuana prohibition, with support coming from all across the political spectrum: 61 percent among Democrats, 55 percent among Independents and 43 percent among Republicans.  This latest poll shows support to be 9 percent higher than a Gallup poll released in October, which showed that 44 percent of Americans favored making marijuana legal.

The new poll conducted last week by Angus Reid Public Opinion also reveals that 68 percent of Americans believe the war on drugs has been a failure.  When will our public servants finally listen to the people they’re supposed to be accountable to and reform our country’s marijuana laws?

Monday’s Gallup poll showing that a record 44% of Americans favor making marijuana legal has brought increased attention to the need for an open, national debate on marijuana policy.

The fact that 44% percent of people favor taxing and regulating marijuana is even more impressive because—in stark contrast to many other public policy issues—for once, a substantial number of Americans actually view an issue favorably.

After all, Americans are a finicky bunch. We don’t like much these days, and in 2009 it’s impressive for anything to get 44% approval ratings. In fact, according to the latest numbers from a variety of polling sources, the idea of taxing and regulating marijuana enjoys higher support among the American public than the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the top Democrat and top Republican in the House of Representatives, and—perhaps not surprisingly—Congress itself.

Take a look at these figures:

Based on these numbers, as well as the growing mainstream media coverage of marijuana issues, there is no longer any doubt that Americans see marijuana policy reform as a legitimate mainstream issue worthy of national debate. Let’s keep talking!