According to a new YouGov poll, 27% of Americans surveyed said it would be ideal for people to use more cannabis rather than alcohol, while 20% said it would be a bad idea.
However, most respondents (38%) said it would be neither good nor bad, with a further 15% saying they weren’t sure.
The demographic breakdown of the poll, which was conducted among 10,412 Americans on February 28, found that Democrats were more likely to say switching from alcohol to cannabis would be a good thing (34%), compared to Democrats. Republicans (18%) and Independents (27%).
People aged 30-44 were the most likely to say cannabis substitution would be a good thing (34%), while only 17% of people aged 65 and over felt the same way.
YouGov poll on alcohol and cannabis
Although the pros and cons of alcohol versus cannabis have been much discussed, alcohol consumption is strongly associated with long-term health problems even as alcohol can cause overdoses . According to a 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) report, alcohol is responsible for 3,000,000 premature deaths a year, with the poorest and most disadvantaged communities bearing the bulk of the burden. burden.
Conversely, no cannabis overdoses have ever been documented and compounds from the plant are used medicinally for a number of health conditions.
Regardless of public opinion, it seems that states where cannabis is legalized for adult use see a stronger trend in cannabis sales over time. For example, Massachusetts officially collects more tax revenue from cannabis than from alcohol, according to state data released last month.
Illinois also saw cannabis taxes beat alcohol for the first time last year, with the state collecting about $100 million more from recreational cannabis than alcohol in 2021.
A 2019 report separately found that the number of drink-driving crashes in Idaho declined after cannabis was legalized in neighboring Washington state.
