Conclusions

It has been a great semester researching the public's opinion on marijuana and how it has changed. I never truly knew how close we may be as a country to legalizing the drug. I have learned that marijuana has only recently come to the forefront of issues in the United States. 

Forty years ago marijuana was not a topic that was often spoke about in public forums, and the suggestion of possible legalization would have been absurd. In modern times, the drug is becoming increasingly popular and accepted throughout society. Proposition 19, which called for the legalization of marijuana in California on a personal basis, was at the front of issues being voted on in the November midterm elections. Even in defeat, Prop. 19 proved how the opinions of people are beginning to favor the potential legalization, and it may now just be a matter of time before marijuana is made legal in our country. The time I have spent researching opinions and polls throughout the semester has taught me that Americans are changing. Within the last 40 years or so, I found that Americans seem to be more accepting and willing be test new ideas. Before this semester, I had never been too interested on how others felt on controversial issues, but now I understand how many of my views often collaborate with those of others. Public opinion is always changing, and marijuana was an excellent topic to prove this.