The Politics of Marijuana Legalization

Last November, Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize marijuana, and they may not be the last: legalization now has the support of about half the country, up from 25 percent two decades ago. But legalization remains controversial among the public and contrary to federal law and policy. Is a new national consensus emerging, or a new stage of the culture war? Either way, what are the implications?

On May 29th, Governance Studies at Brookings and the Washington Office on Latin America hosted a public forum to discuss changing attitudes towards marijuana legalization. Brookings Senior Fellows William Galston and E.J. Dionne presented findings of a detailed study of evidence from opinion surveys, some of it newly available.

Follow the conversation at #MJLegalization.