Recreational marijuana support is higher than ever. And so are the supporters.

Americans show budding support for recreational marijuana use, a recent survey suggested.

The U.S. federal law states that the use and possession of marijuana is illegal. However, not all Americans agree. A January 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 57% of Americans believe marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use.

One Minnesota marijuana supporter even told StarTribune, “It’s just cool to see the open-mindedness… It’ll be nice to see people accept it more.”

While this view has held constant for about five years, this support was not always so strong. In fact, this is a dramatic increase from the past. A Gallup survey uncovered that support for recreational marijuana legalization has more than doubled since 2000 and almost sextupled since 1969.

This growth can be attributed to many factors. Many Americans advocate for marijuana legalization because they believe it will benefit the economy. Indeed, Pew’s January survey discovered that over half of American adults believe making recreational marijuana legal is good for local economies. Pew also found that many American adults (42%) also support legalization because they believe it will make the criminal justice system fairer.

While economic and criminal justice are the two most supported justifications, there are other reasons why Americans think recreational marijuana should be legal. Some assume legalizing marijuana could decrease the use of drugs like heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, while others think legalization could make communities safer. Although, people are not as sure about the latter two effects, as most survey responses said that marijuana would likely not impact drug use or safety.

No matter the reasoning, support is clearly growing stronger.

“Momentum is now in our favor,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told cannabis news source, MarijuanaMoment.

The supportive impetus Schumer refers to is pushing more states to legalize the drug. As of March 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia legalized small amounts of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Some of these states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. U.S. territories have followed suit as well, with the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands also legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use.

Fourteen states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Utah, legalized marijuana for medical use only. Some of these states, however, are working on recreational legalization. For example, in Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro called for the legislature to legalize marijuana, a goal of his predecessor, Tom Wolf, as well. More recently, Florida approved a referendum in early April that will allow residents to vote to legalize recreational marijuana in November.

With more legalization comes more dispensaries. A Pew analysis in February discovered that around eight in ten Americans live in a county with at least one cannabis dispensary. And this number will keep rising as people keep supporting recreational marijuana use.