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!

Responding to recent calls to shutter Los Angeles county's medical marijuana collectives, MPP commissioned a poll that found Angelenos overwhelmingly supportive of medical marijuana access in their community.

According to the survey, 74 percent of Los Angeles County voters support the state's medical marijuana law. 77 percent said that they prefer regulating L.A.-area medical marijuana facilities over closing them all down. Support for regulation crossed all demographic groups, including Republicans who favor regulation over wholesale closure by a 62 to 30 percent margin.

The poll also found that 54 percent of voters think marijuana should be made legal for adults over 21 and and its sales taxed and regulated like alcohol.

Hopefully these results will further demonstrate to the Los Angeles City Council and other elected officials that attacking the medical marijuana community is a no-win game in L.A. politics.

The poll -- conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research -- surveyed 625 regular voters in L.A. County. The questions and results by demographic breakdown can be downloaded here.

MPP Director of Government Relations Aaron Houston explains the implications of the new federal policy toward medical marijuana state laws, and discusses the growing acceptance of marijuana in public perception. 10/20/2009

Aaron Houston weighs in on the Justice Department's formal decision to not prosecute medical marijuana patients and providers who are following state law. 10/19/2009

Just as federal medical marijuana policy appears to be moving toward sanity, some local officials in the nation's second largest city seem to be losing it altogether.

Earlier this month, I reported on Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley's decision to use resources prosecuting each of the area's medical marijuana collectives as common drug dealers -- even those operating within city or county guidelines. Now, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich joins Cooley in his fight against the popular and long-standing medical marijuana laws.

Trutanich is pressing the L.A. City Council to quickly adopt an ordinance effectively banning the sale of medical marijuana through storefront collectives. This uniquely draconian proposal is based on the false premise that California law doesn't allow collectives to accept money from members as reimbursement for their medical marijuana.

Just last year, the state's attorney general issued guidelines declaring that, while medical marijuana could not be sold for profit, it is perfectly legal to exchange money to cover the costs of its production and distribution. The guidelines clearly state, "Members also may reimburse the collective or cooperative for marijuana that has been allocated to them." Further, California law exempts certain medical marijuana-related activities from prosecution under laws that otherwise prohibit the sales of marijuana.

Bizarrely, the ordinance also doesn't allow any medical marijuana facility to operate within 1,000 feet of a "hospital or medical facility." Hmm... I thought that patient collectives were medical facilities.

Clearly medical marijuana collectives in Los Angeles are in need of some more controls (local patients and collective operators have been calling for regulations for  years), and some of the facilities in the area are probably not operating in good faith compliance with the law. But the answer to this problem is not in a broad prohibitionist policy that's out of step with state law and a boon to underground drug dealers who would undoubtably fill the vacuum left once all the collectives are closed. The answer, as always, is in sound regulations which facilitate open and safe access to patients while addressing community concerns.

Stay tuned for more developments from the City of Angels. I'll be posting them here as they unfold.

Over the weekend, the Oakland Tribune reported that law enforcement officers at Oakland International Airport follow an official written policy of respecting California's medical marijuana laws. Qualified medical marijuana patients traveling out of Oakland are not arrested or cited for possession of eight ounces or less of processed marijuana. In fact, patients are allowed to board their plane with their marijuana just as they could with any other legal medicine or prescription drug.

The policy was enacted after an intensive local lobbying campaign by Robert Raich, one of California's preeminent attorneys specializing in medical marijuana law. Although the federal government continues to criminalize medical marijuana, Raich points out that federal regulations restricting marijuana possession aboard an aircraft provide an exception if it is "authorized by or under any Federal or State statute."

Airport security screenings are conducted by the federal Transportation Security Administration, but passengers in possession of marijuana and other drugs are deferred to the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, which applies the favorable policy.

Hopefully all the airports in California -- and 12 other medical marijuana states -- will follow Oakland's lead so that even more patients will be able to travel without fear of persecution.

MPP Assistant Director of Communications Mike Meno is interviewed about the Justice Department announcement that the federal government will no longer use resources to prosecute medical marijuana users and providers that are in compliance with state law. 10/19/2009

Bruce Mirken discusses the Obama administration's memo intended to stop federal resources from being used to prosecute medical marijuana users and caregivers operating within state laws. 10/19/2009

A new Gallup poll released today shows 44% support for making marijuana legal in the U.S., a record high for this particular poll. The poll also shows 53% support in the west.

While we’ve seen higher numbers in the past, and the level of support varies from poll to poll, this recent number shows a trend that’s undeniable: Americans are quickly realizing that taxing and regulating marijuana is preferable to prohibition.

The chart below shows the change in attitudes among various groups. Notice that all of them have increased since 2005.

Huge news!

The Obama administration issued guidelines today clearly stating that the federal government will not arrest medical marijuana patients or providers who comply with state law. This development is the most significant, positive policy change for medical marijuana patients since 1978.

According to Justice Department officials, the orders sent today to federal prosecutors, the DEA, and the FBI clearly state that medical marijuana patients and providers who are in compliance with state law should not be arrested or prosecuted by the federal government. This codifies statements made by the attorney general earlier this year.

The policy is a signal of support for medical marijuana from President Obama and the new administration. And the guidelines are exactly what MPP’s Aaron Houston asked for in a congressional hearing earlier this year.

Under the Bush administration, the feds raided, arrested, and otherwise terrorized medical marijuana patients and their caregivers. Even in the 13 states with medical marijuana laws, patients still lived in fear. With this new policy change, medical marijuana patients finally know exactly where they stand with the law and can focus on their health, not their legal status.

To help MPP build on this momentum, please write your member of Congress. We’ve set up an action item online to make this quick and easy. You can also help by sharing this blog post on Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and other social network sites online.