Over 300 Economists Agree: It’s Time to Legalize Marijuana

[ieoeja]

40. I have made the same argument. And it is worse.

I grew up in a county where the largest city has under 3000 residents. I live in Chicago which has just a wee bit more.

One of the things I have had to learn when visiting where I grew up is *not* to talk casually about marijuana use. Here in Chicago I know people from all political ideologies who smoke rather openly. They are blue collar, white collar and cops. They are wealthy, poor and everything in between. I wouldn't think anything of saying at a meeting, "you need to light up a joint when you go home tonight" to someone talking about being stressed out by work.

Let me say something like that where I grew up, and a solid majority of the people I know would be shocked and look at me like I just admitted to being a child molestor.

Heck, this very conversation - a debate on decriminalization - would be walking on thin ice where I grew up.

When they take the national polls, support in the Liberal areas combine with a minority in the Conservative regions to push the decriminalizing numbers over 50%. But if you break out those polls state-by-state, congressional district-by-district...?

I've never seen such a poll. But I would be really surprised if that showed 40+%, much less 50+%, supporting decriminalization in the vast majority of congressional districts.