This poll revealed a 12% drop among Independents, a 7% drop among young adults, and a 13% drop among nonreligious people. Likewise, as the percentage of Americans that say marijuana has a positive effect on most people who use it has declined, there has been an increase in the percentage that say it has a negative effect on them. This increased from 45% in 2022 to 51% in 2024, with the remainder answering that they had “no opinion.” A majority of Americans now recognize that marijuana has harmful effects on users, which include cannabis use disorder, depression, anxiety, and impairment, among others.
A second question asked, “What effect do you think the use of marijuana has on society – very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative?” It found that the percentage of Americans that thought it was “very negative” or “somewhat negative” increased from 50% in 2022 to 54% in 2024, as the percentage that thought it had a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” effect declined from 49% to 41%.
More and more Americans are waking up to the harmful effects of marijuana. Now a majority of Americans believe that marijuana is harmful for both users and society. Public opinion is clearly shifting as more families have seen firsthand the results of marijuana use.
