Survey results just released by the Pew Research Center has found that for the first time in over 40 years, the majority of Americans now favor the legalization of marijuana.

The poll found that 52% favor legalization and 45% do not.

The last survey taken in 2010 found that just 41% of respondents favored legalization, support has jumped 11% in just three years.

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65% of people born since 1980, now between the ages of 18 and 32, favor legalizing pot, up from just 36% in a 2008 poll. There has also been a dramatic change in older people's attitude towards marijuana too.  Half of all Baby Boomers now favor pot, where back in 1990 only 17% did.  Since 1994, the percentage of Boomers now supporting legalization has nearly doubled, from 24% to 50%.

Nearly 48% of Americans now say they have tried marijuana, up from 38% a decade ago.

According to the survey, 47% say they used it “just for fun,” while 30% say it was for a medical issue; 23% also admitted that they used it for medical purposes and also just for fun. Recently Washington state and Colorado have legalized the recreational use of pot.  There is a federal bill favoring the legalization of marijuana that is being co-sponsored by Maine's U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.  The Green Party in Portland is now circulating a petition calling for legalization in that city. There is also a legalization bill making its way through the state's legislative process that was presented by Representative  Diane Russell of Portland.

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