According to a Gallup survey, a majority of Americans believe that the U.S. has lost ground on the “illegal drugs problem” in the nation. A new Gallup poll shows that support for a fundamentally changed approach to marijuana, namely legalization, has also reached a high.
According to the survey, 52 percent of respondents think that the U.S. “lost” ground in the war on drugs. Meanwhile, 24 percent believe that progress has been made. This is a significant shift in public opinion from the last time Gallup surveyed Americans on the topic in 2019. Then, a majority (41%) was optimistic about the progress made, and 30% said that the country was losing out in its fight against illegal drugs.
Gallup.
This 22-point change over four years is likely due to the growing concern and awareness about the opioid epidemic. Fentanyl, and other synthetic analogs, have become more prevalent in the drug supply.
A part of the shift may also be due to a growing realization that government drug strategies have not been successful for decades, despite focusing on criminalization as the central strategy.
The new poll shows that there are significant partisan differences in attitudes towards progress on drug issues.
Gallup’s Friday analysis shows that Republicans are very negative about U.S. drug policy progress. Only 12 percent of Republicans believe the U.S. has made progress, while 75 percent think it is losing ground. Independents are equally pessimistic. Only 22 percent believe that progress is being made, while 52 percent think the situation is worsening.
Gallup.
It says that “In contrast, more Democrats believe the situation is improving than worsening” (40%) These party differences highlight the importance of matching a person’s political party with the party of the current president when evaluating the drug problem.
Media coverage that is sensationalized may have contributed to the negative perception of the issue. This narrative attempts to link widespread substance abuse with progressive policies or politicians.
Gallup’s data seems to confirm this. While nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say that drug abuse in the United States is “very” or “extremely” serious, only 35 percent agree with the same statement about their local area.
Gallup.
Gallup reported that Republicans and independents rated the situation in their local areas similarly. “Forty percent of Republicans, and 37 percent independents, said the local drug problems were extremely or very grave,” Gallup stated. “Democrats are less likely to believe it, with a 27 percent rate.”
The polling company didn’t specify what constitutes “a drug problem” in this country. However, the firm noted that these results coincide with an “alarming increase in the number U.S. adult victims of overdoses from opioids and other harmful drugs.”
The majority of Americans see little progress being made in addressing the illegal drugs problem in their country. “The public’s pessimism has never been higher, at least since Gallup began collecting data on this issue,” the analysis concludes. The analysis concludes that “greater concern over U.S. progress may lead to drugs becoming a bigger issue during the presidential election next year than they have been in previous elections. This would increase pressure on candidates to develop plans to address the problem.”
Americans are more pessimistic than ever about U.S. efforts to combat the illegal drug issue. https://t.co/VuD58In42u
GallupNews November 10, 2020
In fact, the fentanyl epidemic has been brought up in all three Republican primary debates for 2024 so far, including those of Florida Governor Rick Scott. Ron DeSantis, a Republican candidate, called for a militarized approach to drug traffickers. Former New Jersey Governor, among others. Chris Christie (R) has stressed the importance of addressing demand by focusing on prevention and addiction treatment.
In contrast, marijuana hasn’t been the focus of the 2024 discussion, perhaps because there is a growing bipartisan consensus to end federal cannabis prohibition. Gallup published survey results last weekend that showed national support for legalization was at a record 70%. This included 55 percent of Republicans.
Gallup reported in an earlier report that despite the majority of Republicans supporting legalization, the partisan divide had widened during the last two decades with Democrats being even more eager to embrace the topic.
A 2021 poll conducted by the ACLU in conjunction with the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), released on the 50th anniversary since President Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs, found that two thirds of American voters supported decriminalizing the simple possession of substances that are currently illegal.
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