More Americans Support Taxing Marijuana Than Junk Food

A national Rasmussen poll released today indicates that 47% of American adults answered "yes" to this question: "To help solve America’s fiscal problems, should the country legalize and tax marijuana?" Forty-two percent disagreed, and a whopping 10% were undecided.

Forty-seven percent is impressive, especially when one considers that this figure could grow to 57% if we're able to persuade the undecided folks to come to our side through positive news coverage, paid advertising, and person-to-person contact.

The 47% is a national figure, which means support for taxing marijuana is surely higher in states like Colorado and Washington, both of which will have marijuana-taxation initiatives on their ballots this November 6. (And, of course, support would necessarily be lower than 47% in states like Alabama and Mississippi.)

The same Rasmussen poll also indicates that only 42% of Americans "favor so-called 'sin taxes' on sodas and junk food."

In case you're thinking that the 47% figure is a decrease from previous polling ... it's not. The national Gallup poll, released in October, found that 50% of American adults "think the use of marijuana should be made legal."

So, these are two different marijuana questions. It makes sense that (slightly) more people are comfortable with the simple use of marijuana than the overall legalization and taxation of marijuana — which would involve retail establishments, large-scale grow operations, and maybe even advertising.

I'm very excited about the 47% figure, and I'm looking forward to working with our allies to pass the Colorado ballot initiative in just seven months.